Points2Ponder
By Alan P. Scaglone
Why can we talk to some people about anything?
And some people, we just keep it all, bottled up inside?
What makes a friend… a friend?
Points2Ponder Who is that person who will listen when you
just want to be heard? And will counsel when you need to listen-- What makes
them…your friend?
I was talking to my wife the other day how odd
it is that… there are some people I haven’t seen in the past 25 years, and…if I
ran into them in the mall…
I would say that it was good to have run into
them, to catch up on how life has treated them, but… I wouldn’t want to
reconnect because…I don’t miss them.And then there are friendships that… meant something!
They mattered to you…
They made some difference in your life…
And… you miss them!
I had that kind of friend from high school…
We met first day of high school—and we just hit it off.
We were in the same classes—and we became best friends.
Through the high school years, we integrated our lives; I got to know her boyfriend as a friend; she knew my girlfriend.
Then something unexpected happened—my mom died in my senior year.
My friend was there for me—she actually saved my life!
She knew what kind of a rough time I was having, dealing or “not dealing” with my mom’s death.
I think that experience sealed it for me—she would be my forever friend…forever!
Right after high school…
She got married… she had a son…and they asked me to be his godfather. I was honored.
Then life happened…
Somehow, my life, getting married, having my twin daughters, starting that phase of life…
We tried to stay close, but… life just happened.
Next thing I know, it’s been a few years…
Then a few more…and a few more after that…
25 years later… I tell my lovely wife how I would love to say thank you to that friend who “Saved My Life” because…if she hadn’t, look at the life I would have missed.
But… we had no idea how to find her.
Until we found Facebook!
My wife did some snooping without telling me…
She couldn’t find anything on my friend...not a single trace…
Maybe her name was changed? Maybe she wasn’t on facebook?
So… my wife tried something else.
She found my godson…
Within a few hours, he had given me his mom’s phone number.
I called her… we talked for a while, caught up on the last 25 years—and then, she invited us to come meet her husband and visit them in Dunnellon, Florida.
Wait a minute? Where IS Dunnellon, Florida?
I was a Florida native, but I didn’t know… mapquest showed—it’s close to Ocala!
We visited…met her husband Derrick—really great guy—they are so happy together—and they have this wonderful life!
Nice to see her again—but… 25 years? How can that just be wiped away?
Not sure how—but I know when it is wiped away—you’re grateful!
We’ve now been to that little sleepy town called Dunnellon about 20 times—and we will keep going until there’s no one there to visit.
She and my wife have become close friends; Derrick and I have become good friends.
And it feels like—we’ve always been “there” – you know—“there” is where you know—someone’s got your back, someone knows the “real” you!
And this forever friend of mine—who saved my life once—is forever a part of my life—
And I am thankful that… we did reconnect, we did make the effort, we did bring our families together, and the Four of us have become lifelong friends!
Sometimes… you just know… that person will be in your heart for a lifetime… your forever friend!
And you’re grateful for that.
They make a difference in your life—and you just want them to know.
In the words of that Golden Girls theme song…
“Thank You for being a friend!”
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