All about Lasting friendship

Most people are blessed, it has been said, if they can count their true friends on the fingers of one hand.  Lasting friendship is a true blessing.  I have friends that have lasted my life time.  As a child I was often confined to my bed with operations for Polio.  One friend in particular that I remember visiting was Polly.  She was born in Cuba, her father was a Scot who worked for a British Bank in the Islands.  Her grandmother and mine were friends.  When she visited Virginia she would occasionally visit me.  She moved back to the States in High School and we became good friends.  Today I consider her one of my best friends.

Another friend I grew up with was Boo we played together as little girls.  She was a year ahead of me in school so we grew apart.  After all who wants to hang around someone younger.  However we are still friends and will always love each other.  She sponsored me for  Pi Beta Phi in college.  She also put down someone for teasing me about the noise my crutches made when I walked.  True friends take up for each other. We still love each other even if we rarely see one another. 

Another enduring friendship occurred in College.  I met a girl in line for lunch at the cafeteria.  We started talking and I found out that she had gone to the same girl's school that I had gone to.  It was a very small school of about 65 girls.  So how did I miss her.  It turned out Ellen transferred the year I started.  She had come back to college after working a while in NYC.  We became good friends. She lives in Vermont now, I live in Virginia.  We visit often.  Even though we live far apart we love one another as sisters.

Another long term friend is Corliss.  We moved next door to each other 34 years ago.  We both had babies at home at the time.  My son Lewis was under a year.  We became fast friends.  The nice thing about true friends is that you do not have to be perfect.  Corliss has definite opinions and tires to help me by telling me what to do.  Long ago I learned to dish it back out to her.  We laugh and carry on and have a wonderful time together.

Polly, Corliss, and I always try to spend New Years Eve together.  You would think that we were a bunch of teens the way we carry on.  Mother, had been living with me and we had always been great friends.  She would join in on the fun.

When we were young and married our husbands were friends too.

I have been lucky enough to be able to make other friends too.  Some that I have not known as long, but are proving to be real friends.  I have known Ursula in passing for many years, but recently we have become much closer.  We both live in the little community of Kilmarnock, VA.  She is German, or rather Bavarian.  Her husband is a fine gentleman, who has almost totally lost his hearing.  His health is not real good, and she worries about him.  He is also somewhat forgetful.  We can sympathize with each other.  We are both artistic and creative by nature.  Her father was a sculptor and my father was a painter and ran a Gallery.  We are able to laugh together.

I see a repetitive theme here. Laughter, and being able to be yourself and have fun is so important in friendship.  Being there for one another is important too.  Everyone needs a support system.  I am so lucky to be surrounded by so many good friends. 

My newest friend is Christine another next door neighbor to become a wonderful friend.  She is older than I, but full of fun.  We do a lot together.    Jennifer, she is my daughter in law, Melissa's best friend.  I now know why.  She is great fun, and really cares for others.  Both my daughter in laws are my friends too.  I am so lucky that they are my friends.  I always wanted a daughter and now I have two.