I didn't write this little poem, it came to me from the internet.

*KEEPER*

Their marriage was good, their dreams focused. Their best friends lived barely a wave away. I can see them now, Dad in trousers, tee shirt and a hat, lawn mower in his hand and Mom in a house dress and dish-towel in hers. It was the time for fixing things. A curtain rod, the kitchen radio, screen
door, the oven door, the hem in a dress. Things we keep. It was a way of life, and sometimes it made me crazy. All that re-fixing, renewing, I wanted just once to be wasteful. Waste meant affluence. Throwing things away meant you knew there would always be more. But then I had to face a death, and on that clear summer's night, in the warmth of the hospital room, I was struck with the pain of learning that sometimes there isn't any more. Sometimes, what we care about most gets all used up and goes away...never to return. So...while we have it... it's best we love it... and care for it.... and fix it when it's broken..... and heal it when it's sick. This is true... for marriage.... and old cars.... and children with bad report cards..... dogs and cats with bad hips.... and aging parents.... and grandparents. We love them and hold on to them because they are worth it, because we are worth it. Some things we keep. Like a best friend that moved away or a classmate we grew up with. There are just some things that make life important, like people we know who are special.... and so, we keep them close!

Yesterday, I had lunch with two of my friends from high school. I won't say old friends because we for sure are not old! Terri (in green) was my Maid of Honor and Melanie (in yellow) was a candle lighter in my wedding. These are two other special (not old) friends of mine. We met up for Alison's daughter's wedding last month. I met Alison (left) and Maria (middle) when we shared a cabin at Outdoor School when we were in the 6th grade. We learned a song at camp that year...

"MAKE NEW FRIENDS, BUT KEEP THE OLD, ONE IS SILVER AND THE OTHER GOLD."