Friends New and Re- Newed

This has been a good week for visits.  On Monday, Barbara and Katie from Me and My Dog came over for a visit.  We sat in the backyard and talked for quite a while and then gave Barbara a tour of Therapy.

We had such a great visit.  It was like we have known each other for a long time rather than just meeting for the first time a few days ago.  I kept my dogs in the house because I was worried they might scare Katie.  Finally I brought Rusty out and Katie was ready to take him on!  She must weigh all of about 8 lbs. but she was not going to let this big dog get away with anything.  Rusty just looked at her and kinda jumped back a little bit.  I don’t think he knew quite what to make of her.  He wandered around the yard a bit and finally decided he couldn’t find a dog to play with so went back in the house.  It was pretty funny seeing Katie stand her ground with him.

A few years back I ran across an old friend on Face Book.  We were all on staff at one time at our local church and school.  The church had a full k-12 school with about 200 students.  Russ was the business administrator of the church and school, I taught reading part-time, Gary was both a teacher and an associate minister and Charlotte worked with the music program.  She has one of the most beautiful alto voices I have ever heard and I would love to hear her sing again.

The school eventually closed after several years, and we all moved on to different paths in our lives.  Gary and Charlotte moved to Southern California and were associate ministers in a church in El Centro for 18 years.  For the past 10 years they have been senior pastors at a church in Desert Hot Springs.  Now where have I heard of that place before LOL??

A few months ago Charlotte sent me a message that they would be in Eugene this summer.  Today was the day they arrived.  We picked up two very weary travelers from the Amtrak Station.  Pastor Gary is a very tall man and they had both had trouble feeling comfortable in the itty bitty bunks that serve as beds on the train.  We had lunch and then took them to their hotel where they had a nice nap.

This evening we drove around to all the old places they remembered.  We went past the old church and there was someone there to let us in.  How nice to see how things had changed but yet it all still looked familiar.  We laughed and talked about all the things we remembered, like leaky roof and security alarm calls in the middle of the night.  We remembered old friends and students and picnics and potlucks.



We talked about how Gary’s office was here and Russ’s office was there and the nursery used to be here and on and on we went.  Oh the memories!

Then we went to my favorite pizza place on the river for dinner.  It doesn’t even matter that their pizza is NOT the best in Eugene…it’s on the river and there is outside seating.  With good friends to enjoy it with, what more could anyone ask for?



Then we visited the Oregon Duck Shop at the mall.  Charlotte is an Oregon native and since living in Eugene, they are both  Duck fans.  They are meeting some relatives tomorrow who are also Duck fans and wanted to get them a little remembrance.  We even had fun at the mall!



Did I mention we haven’t seen or talked to these dear friends in almost 30 years?  Yet it was as if the years were rolled back like the clouds after a spring rain.  The warm glow of our friendship was still there, hiding behind the clouds,  after all these years.  I was reminded of the Michael W. Smith song, “Friends".”  It was certainly fitting tonight.  Thank you Gary and Charlotte for the gift of your friendship and for allowing us to re-new our acquaintance.

Gary and Charlotte, this is for you.  Corny, I know, and perhaps a little dated…just like me, but sincerely meant!