We pause in our political blogging for some personal reflections.

I got an email from an old Military friend today.

It made my day. 

A big shout out to Eric, and congrats on making Chief!  Hope I get down your way soon.

It reminds me that even though many years pass, sometimes those ties we form never go away.

A few years ago I did an almost frantic amount of research and contact and ‘found’ a lot of friends I had lost.  I got in touch with people I had not seen since High School, and few even earlier that that.  in 2002 I drove around for a week visiting several and reacquainting myself with them and their families.

A few I had been in casual contact with, but not many.  Many I have stayed in pretty consistent contact with since, some have slipped away into memories, but at some time I am sure those doors will open again.

A few will never be far from my thoughts and I am sure I will be burning many cell phone minutes just checking in now and then.

Friendship is so fragile and yet at the same time, it contains some of the strongest ties of all.

I called up Jim, and dropped in on him a few years ago after about a 12 year lapse.  He and I look nothing like we used to, all of our children are mostly grown, and many other fairly significant changes.

And yet, within a few moments, time was erased and we were back in high school almost.

The same happened with Dave, with Luke and many more I wont mention.

We reserve places in our hearts for people, and even if we close those doors for years, a chance reopening often returns us to the last time we saw them, near enough anyway.

None of us are who we expected to be, we have all faced different paths and experiences, and a few of us gained a little extra tonnage, damn the  bad luck.

But the people we are, the person in the shell, we carry a unique quality that seems to transcend that.  Call it the soul, or the essence, or just the memories, whatever you like.  There are just some things about people that I will never forget.

I am blessed really, I have been able to find so many beloved friends, even though there are many memorable and very missed exceptions.

I never really payed attention to it when I was wasting all those years far away.  So many lost years.

But at the same time, there is something about my age that brings about this longing to reconnect, to turn back the hands of time and to give that old friend a call.

Many people resist it, not wishing to reopen some doors.  I can respect that.  But i also discovered that when I did so, when I sent some mail out of the blue, I found a few people who missed me as much as I missed them.

So take the chance, you may find it to be worth it.

To all my friends, past and present, thank you making my life that much richer.

But if the while I think on thee, dear friend,

All losses are restored and sorrows end.

~William Shakespeare

I have friends in overalls whose friendship I would not swap for the favor of the kings of the world.

~Thomas A. Edison

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