Friends

[TC Chris]

As we get older, it's interesting to see who our enduring friends are. Yesterday I drove 88 miles north on snow-covered highways to see an old college friend from Cincinnati. He and his wife were at the home of his high school friend from Toledo, whom I had met 55 years ago when they were both living there. My friend's friend and his wife became my friends over the years. Both died within the last 6 years and their daughter was selling the house. She lives in Seattle, and I wanted to see her and my Cincinnati friends, and she had something for me.

What she had was a large framed print of our local sailing schooner. I had sailed on the vessel as crew for about 20 years.

On the back there was an envelope taped. It had my name on it. Inside was a note for me from Bill dated 2006, saying he wanted me to have this, saying he knew I loved the Lakes. Also enclosed was an email I had sent describing a passage on the schooner from Bay City, MI (on Lake Huron) to Green Bay, WI (Lake Michigan), passing under the Mackinac Bridge at midnight just as sailboats in the Chicago-Mackinac race were nearing the finish line.

It was worth risking the marginal road conditions to visit friends and get that message from 2006.

Do others have a really odd collection of old friends? Mine are not selected by political agreement, employment, or even interests. They are just people who have tolerated me for a long time and whose faults I also overlook. Treasure your old friends.

Chris Campbell