Temmi, Eddie, Beth, Carolyn, Kim, Sharon, Beverly, Jamie … all of us together.
We played. We laughed. We argued. But, most of all, we loved.
A few years ago, I encountered a couple of little girls who had not seen each other in a while. They squealed with delight at their reunion. As they hugged, one said, “We need to play!”
As beautiful as that moment was, it made me sad. I no longer played. Would I still know how?
The passing of one of our gang sparked lots of memories, like when we would go “riding bikes around the block.” It was fun. It was adventurous because we would try to outdo each other with wheelies. The speed races were epic.
We celebrated every birthday with a party. We put lighting bugs in a jar, flew June bugs on a string, and watched caterpillars break through the cocoons to become butterflies. We devoured fresh watermelon with salt. Took turns cranking the ice cream maker. And we had fun.
It has been many years, decades, since we were all together. We have all moved in different directions and faced many challenges along the way. But we all have something in common that has helped us through our journeys.
We are fortunate to have been given a good foundation for life. We are fortunate to have been together. We are fortunate to have made it this far.
Let’s go back to celebrating our birthdays and enjoying the joys of getting drenched in watermelon juice. We have made it this far because we have been blessed with our friends along the way.
Who wants to go ride bikes?
