What I see now brings me back

My parents had a gathering of their friends. I will tell this story from my perspective. These friends are old, in the sense that they have been in my parents life for my  47 years .... but I know some go back further than that as their kids were my sisters friends.

I knew this gathering was happening across the country from me last week. I requested pictures to be taken- I was not sure why, but I wanted to see this group of friends together-celebrating their long lived friendships.


Maybe I wanted pictures because my parents are on the older side of young and I am cherishing their lives more than ever. Older things hold a special place in my heart and always have. You open any drawer in this house and an Aunt Francis item is stashed away showing her love of antiques, her passion for jewelry, her appreciation for Art. The old musty smelling item that sits wrinkled in the linen drawer, embroidered with flowers and still holding a price tag from a consignment shop in Philadelphia, holds a place in my heart. It reminds me of my Great Aunt Frances. I feel she is part of me, or am I part of her?

My parents presence on this Earth is a cherished presence. I won't stuff them in my linen drawer-I would rather take pictures of them here and now. Their friends are just as cherished. Below are pictures of people who have supported one another through "it all."

 Skip and I sat the other night and just looked at their faces over and over. Skip doesn't know these people like I do, but his curiosity peaked. The stories that started flooding out of my mouth were a surprise to me.
The neighborhood memories, the sledding memories, the holiday gatherings, the middle school memories, the grief, the tragedies, the unconditional supports...witnessed amongst you all have impacted my life. It all came back to me- the joys and sorrows.

 Skip could see and hear what family friends like you have done in my life.


Hair colors may have changed, skin  shows life well lived, there may be an absence of significant others, and yet- the smiles and company you share - as seen in pictures from afar- fill me with light.

I just want to say thanks-to you- some of my parent's friends who I have many memories of. Though distances grow near and far and life's choices are diverse with the years, we all hold a Yarmouth memory that weaves us back to something comforting and true. I realized this the other night- seeing you all together in the pictures.

A simple reminder of how things now can bring me back to then - like the Aunt Frances linens. BUT we need to take the time to see what is front of us in order to see what has been before us.

I thank you all.

and we love your friendships that we have witnessed over so MANY years!