Thoughts meander like a restless wind: February 2007

Tuesday, February 27, 2007

"You've got a friend"

This evening finds me thinking very seriously about friendship. This is a subject I have very often written about and mused over, but it is one that takes different forms as time passes and life changes. I first began thinking of friendship when I woke to find that it was Tuesday. With a sinking feeling, I remembered that one of my oldest and dearest friends was leaving today to spend six months on the Appalachian Trail. I had planned on seeing her this weekend, but developed a nasty cold instead. I then intended to call and wish her well yesterday, but spent the better part of the day in a sleepy, cold-induced stupor. Not expecting an answer, I called the only number I had in order to wish her safe travels and a happy return. Not having talked to her before she left has to be one of the most disheartening things I have experienced in quite some time. It will be six months before I am able to let her know how much she means to me and by that point, explanations will be worthless. A lesson in friendship.

Later in the morning, another old friend called me just to check in. I listened as her son chattered in the background and smiled as I listened to my own child playing happily below. It was just yesterday that ten-year-old me found nine-year-old her crouched at the top of my driveway, shaking off pine needles and striking up a conversation as if she had known me her entire life. Two kids. Now with kids of their own. Yet there's still time for random check-ins, the occasional coffee break, and a listening ear. The conversations and circumstances have changed, but beneath it all are two people who somehow maintained a friendship despite the odds.

In the afternoon, a message came across from a more recent but equally dear friend. From the first real conversation with this individual, our communication was vibrant, forthright, personal, and striking the deepest chords of friendship. She has always had the ability to make me laugh, and some of my fondest memories center around the year we lived together. She is one of my very closest friends despite living in separate time zones, and I walked away from my computer with a smile. I look forward to seeing her soon, and more than that, I look forward to continuing our friendship into years to come.

My last dose of friendship came in the form of another "check-in" phone call from one of my newest family members. After a long span of silence, she became an acquaintance…someone I mentally resolved to get to know better. As circumstances would have it, connections changed, but I was still able (perhaps moreso) to begin developing a friendship with this individual. Connections have once again shifted, but this time I'm guaranteed a chance at securing a life-long friendship. Nothing means more than being able to claim family as friend, and once again, I look forward to many future memories.

Each one of these moments was nothing but a passing moment, but yet the encounters left me with a new sense of the many forms of friendship. Thank you to all of my friends and family who bring love, support, and smiles to every day.

Sunday, February 18, 2007

Oldies but goodies

Finally. I posted some of my favorite family pictures from over the years. I will probably randomly post "favorites" according to topic. You never know when they might appear!!! Enjoy. :-)

Just click on the picture to see the whole album.

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

Dreaming in riddles

The past two nights have been filled with dreams that make me hesitant to close my eyes. I rarely have "bad" dreams, but these leave me with a sense of unavoidable catastrophe. The strange thing is that until last night, none of my dreams would have been considered particularly disturbing except for the dark feeling they instilled upon waking, so I can't explain why they affected me so. I saw a family devastated by loss amidst an otherwise happy reunion many years from now. It was the loss that stood out in my mind, especially since I haven't thought of this particular family in quite some time. When I went back to sleep, a pleasant holiday became stressful and precarious as stormy surf rose quickly in the darkness and tugged angrily at everything below. Even simple tasks like driving to the home of family friends became a troubling task. The random assortment of people confuses me because they are hardly people I see on a daily basis...or think about with any regularity. The vision that woke me at 5:30 was one of a large battlefield that had not been ravaged by war, but rather diesease. Individuals had scrawled blood red words into the ground beside them, but they were strange characters that I could not read. The only people who had been spared were the very few fortunate enough to have slept through the night. I sat up in bed and confusedly thought about the fact that my awakening during the night meant that I would contract the illness as well.

I suppose that if I really wanted to dig, I could find reasons for everything represented. My dreams are generally less about subconscious and more about random connections from fleeting thoughts throughout the day. At any rate, I hope that getting them out in the open will ensure a peaceful night's rest. It is absurd to feel so drained and preoccupied when the past few days have been bustling and full of happiness. Saturday was spent with an old friend. We had lunch, coffee, good conversation, and a pleasant (though chilly) walk over at least twelve blocks of downtown Milledgeville. It was a much-needed breather. Sunday was beautiful and sunny, reminding me of walks down Liberty Street before church...bells pealing in the distance. After church, we took David to the park and spent the rest of the afternoon doing odds and ends around the house. Yesterday was largely devoted to errands, but also contained mid-day encounters with friends. It was another beautiful day, and I enjoyed every minute outdoors, whether walking downtown, loading groceries, or even cleaning out my car.

Sunday, February 11, 2007

Street of dreams

While driving last Saturday, I glanced above the road to notice a leaning pine tree. In all the times I have passed this particular tree, I have never noticed its precarious angle. I kept my eye on it as if I would actually be capable of further action should it decide to fall. Suddenly, I began to think of the "near misses" each and every one of us encounter every day. There is no way we could be aware of each one, and I suppose being aware would only cause paranoia in the extreme. Later during the week, as I drove along the same route, a hawk swooped in front of my car. I could see every little detail of the birds' feathers and flinched, expecting impact. I have no idea how the fine-feathered predator missed me, but his escape only revived my former train of thought.

Perhaps these happenings (and others I have forgotten) impacted my mood, but for whatever reason, each and every moment over the past week has been especially sweet. Life is good.