21 Comments

Oh the antics my red hatters and i use to have and i can still hear the laughter! But then slowly we just stopped and then I moved 300 miles away. Yes i still have several friends that have been in my life for 40+ years! i may not see them often but when i do, we can pick up where we left off! I am blessed indeed!!

Blessings to you!!

Expand full comment

Hi Mary ~ I used to have a Red Hat group too. We actually went to Hilton Head together one year, but our group has kinda faded away also. It's so great to have those long-time friends. Hope you are having a good week. It is sunny here in Ohio, but realllllllllly cold. xoxo

Expand full comment

Life has given me good friends, some of them I have kept since I was a child and I consider them part of my family. When I met my husband Cesar, his mother told me something that I still remember: that friends were the insurance for old age. My mother-in-law was widowed very young and today at 92 years old, I see her full of life and happy with her friends.

Expand full comment

What great advice your mother-in-law gave you! I am trying in recent years to let my friends know how much they mean to me. Happy Holiday, Elizabeth! xoxo

Expand full comment

I learned that song as a brownie as well - and hadn't thought of it in years.

Expand full comment

Janice ~ I can't remember a lot from Girl Scouts, but I remember that song. Hope you have a wonderful holiday, new friend. xoxo

Expand full comment

Great piece! Yes I have some dear lifelong friends that we pick up right where we left off even if it has been a year! Those friends da are treasured. Have a Merry Christmas! By the way I played basketball from elementary school through my senior year in high school! Loved it!

Expand full comment

Tricia ~ I know what you mean about picking up where you left off. That's how I feel about my college roommates. We are spread out all over, but they would be my best friends again if we lived near each other. I'm hoping you & I can meet some day face-to-face. I love knowing you played high school basketball. I have two left feet, but I've always been great in the Pep Squad department. Ha! Happy Holidays! xoxo

Expand full comment

Always enjoy your stories Jan ..Love that saying “make new friends but keep the old “

I’m blessed with a few old friends they are like gold.❤️

Expand full comment

Yes, we're definitely lucky when we have old friends. I'm really glad to be building this new friendship with you though. Merry Christmas! xoxo

Expand full comment

Merry Christmas 🎄 ❤️

Expand full comment

I have lunch with my grade school friend and neighbor about every 6 weeks. We reconnected at a HS reunion 18 yreas ago and realized we now live about 8 miles apart. Polaris is half way for each of us.

Expand full comment

Looking forward to our get-together after the holidays. Miss you! xoxo

Expand full comment

Miss you too! Looking forward to getting together!

Expand full comment

Beautifully written Jan . There is nothing better than never ending friendships. I’m blessed to have a few friends like that in my life!

Expand full comment

Happy Holidays, new friend!!! It's so great to connect with you across the ocean. I'm sure you have a lot of great friends. xoxo

Expand full comment

Jane as a former student of yours and coach Bell's the one thing I did not realize until recently (33years) after I graduated is the impact alot of my former teachers had on my life. For example you use to say to me Kurt no matter be the best at whatever you decide to do in your life. Coach Bell was famous for lead by example. Don Stephens taught me so much about wood working. Skills I use today. I use to tell Mr. Maltsburger why do I need to learn fractions. He would reply you will use fractions all the time as an adult. Guess what he was right. I could go on and on about teachers that impacted my life then and still do as an 51 year old man. I am sure all the teachers that ever had me knew school was not my favorite thing to do. But never the less they poured their heart and soul into me. For that I am ever grateful. Thank you and all of the other Ram teachers for believing in all of us Ram students. Kurt Clark

Expand full comment

Thank you so much, Kurtis!!! I'm going to have to write a blog called "Old Students Become New Friends." So proud of you! xoxo

Expand full comment

You’ve done it again with such a nice, brief recollection that is identifiable as fun to us all. To give our friend Andra the spotlight is so appropriate, as we are blessed with so many good teachers and coaches like her and you. I’ll bet Evelyn Long (aka Grandma TellMe) was your song leader with one of my 🎶fav’s “Make New Friends”?

Expand full comment

Vicki -- I love that special feeling when you see an old friend -- no matter how long it's been. I'm just really lucky I worked with so many of mine. xoxo

Expand full comment

I am very fortunate in that 2 of my oldest and dearest friends happen to be friends of my husband's, too. We met decades ago in Okanagan where they were counselors at a "girls home" . We began to explore our backgrounds, and found we had much in common. Through the years we have been friends, spiritual collaborators, support systems, and fellow travelers in life's journies together. I find it amazing and awe inspiring that no matter how long it may have been between visits, we continue to remain on the same wave length . We can pick up where we left off, almost without skipping a beat. It's as if our lives have been woven together so fully and firmly that for as long as we're here, and probably beyond, we'll be experiencing a never-ending friendship.

Expand full comment