“Sweet is the memory of distant friends!  Like the mellow rays of the departing sun, it falls tenderly, yet sadly, on the heart.”

– Washington Irving

Yesterday was the birthday of my good ol’ buddy, Joan.  Years ago we were returning college students together, two thirty-somethings among a large group of recent high school graduates.  Perhaps it was our mutual plight that drew us together, but it was our similar views and shared goals that cemented our friendship.  For more than thirty years we have shared each other’s sorrows and joys; and, although distance separates us now, we have remained close.  When our friendship was young, we were in touch every day.  Now we stay connected by periodic phone calls that allow us to continue the ongoing conversation that has spanned the years and the miles.

Thanks to the computer age, many of our friends now live far away from our daily lives.  Some of my closest friends are people I’ve never actually met who share their hopes, their dreams, and their days through the magic of the internet.  Others remain a part of my tangible world and are ready with a hug or a kind word when I need it and are willing to accept my encouragement in return.  Friends are a wonderful part of our lives.  We should cherish them all.  Each night as I lie on my pillow and wait for sleep to come, I send out prayers and love and gratitude for the people who make being me such a joy.  Friends accept us as we are, show us the truth about themselves, and encourage us to become more than we dream we could be.

But every now and then we meet a friend whose love and sharing encompasses time and distance, whose ongoing conversation resumes without skipping a beat, even though we haven’t talked in months.  Tonight as the sun sets, I will think of Joan; and the sweet memories of the many places our friendship has been will fall gently and warm my heart.