Friends

Back in Jr. High days, I remember having to do an assignment on poetry, memorization, and recitation.  I chose this little ditty:

Make new friends

But keep the old.

One is silver,

but the other gold.

Silver and gold friends.  Old and new ones.  Both are precious gifts.

Last week I spent a delightful 5 days with a friend in Alberta.  I guess she would be categorized in the “gold” department of my friend list since I’ve known her for over 20 years.  She came to the camp where we live and work, and for the first few years, we were her leaders.  But, as time went by, the years that separate us in age have melted away and I now find myself learning from her!

She’s the friend that gave me the gift of my very first fluffy-white-bathrobe-at-the-spa day.  It was also her encouraging words and excited spirit that gave me courage to tackle cooking in the woods for 50 teenagers! (You can read about that here and here.)

I love friendships that just pick up where they left off, even if miles and months separate times when we can actually visit face to face.  It takes exactly one big ol’ hug around the neck and a fraction of a second for us to dive right back into the groove of conversation.  I love that.

We’re just about to enter into the crazy busy season of life here at camp.  Having a few days away was the perfect pre-summer holiday for me.  I loved getting to be a part of her family with 4 little darlins’ for a few days.  I read in the living room while listening to the most beautiful cello and violin practice going on…and got to be a part of school drop offs and pick ups, an amazing jazz concert (Kirsten was the lead singer), and all the other chauffeuring that takes place in a busy little family’s life.

We also had lots of great conversations over hazelnut coffee and saw some beautiful parts of Edmonton (Alberta) that I’d never been to before ~ including some amazing restaurants and shops.

Of course, in all the fun, I forgot to take any pictures, so her 5 year old son snapped this for us right before I headed to the plane to come home.

What that pictures doesn’t show is how windy it was at that moment.  I’m told that just a few hours later a tornado blew through the area!

It was during my time with Kirsten that I also met a new friend…

and decided to start a whole new adventure.

That’s a story for another day!