Rekindling a Friendship

"Teach this triple truth to all:  A generous heart, kind speech, and a life of service and compassion are the things which renew humanity." 
 ~ Buddha

Spent the weekend with a friend in Oregon.  She and her husband have a lovely retirement home just south of Portland.   We had some serious catching up to do.  My friend is a well-educated and talented nurse.  She is also a talented crafts person.  Both she and her husband have a good eye for art.  Their home has a casual, creative charm.  She and I had not seen one another since that dang knee surgery last summer.  She lost her job in a political move that happens in health care and almost every where else these days.  We had to figure out if we could reach across the gulf that ensues the termination of employment.  As it turns out (to my great relief), we were able to start off where we left off.  

"No distance of place or lapse of time can lessen the friendship of those who are thoroughly persuaded of each other's worth."

~ Robert Southey

I wonder at the silent attributes of friendship.  In this case, we two women understand the determination it takes to face the challenges of caring for frail elders: we know the difficulties of dealing with families riddle with guilt, the suffering of their frail aged, the demands of health care corporations and quirks of regulatory folks.  Still we laughed.  In the heat of late summer (it was nearly 100 F) we found a shared humor and embraced it.

There is a comfort in knowing that time leaves the gate ajar.  The value of personal kinship outweighed corporate decision-making.

The Blush of Autumn

The week end slipped quietly by me.  Saturday was lost to exhaustion and much needed sleep.  Sunday was bright and beautiful.  Easy to photograph my little part of the world when the sun turns everything it touches to red, yellow and gold.  On Sunday afternoon I had lunch with a friend that I have not seen in 5 years.  She looks wonderful but life has not been gentle with her.  She is a resilient soul and no matter the sorrow piled on her door step ~ she continues to move forward.  We sat there slowly eating salads and sipping coffee, chatting about where life has taken each of us.  We've each moved, left failed relationships, watched children grow into adulthood, and struggled our struggles.  So much time has passed and yet so little has changed in the friendship.  Saying goodbye this afternoon I believe  we parted reconnected.  Friendship is precious, as golden as the power of autumn.