"Depth of friendship does not depend on length of acquaintance"
--Saying 'good-bye' is never easy--
Until you have to do it you never really understand how truly difficult good-bye can be. I have a friend moving with her family to Calgary, not a great distance, 4 hours by plane, but it means no longer being able to visit and chat on the deck, no more lunch dates, no more meeting at the ice rink while our children skate, no more chance meetings on the street...
6 months ago when she first told me they might be moving you could have knocked me over with a feather. Here they were, just settled into a beautiful new home that she herself had put her heart and soul into, literally; inside the walls she encased teacups, photos, money, mementos that will be there for as long as the house stands, mementos that have lifetime memories attached. Yes, the plan is to one day come back - they didn't sell the home, they are fortunate enough to be able to keep it and they found a friend they could rent to - but no matter how well you plan for it, life can take some interesting turns.
So, you have to deal with leaving your home, leaving your friends, taking only your memories to a strange new place where you will make a new home, new friends and new memories. So, with life being a road full of difficult turns and knowing that every road leads us down different paths, lets hope this road leads her down the same gentle path she has been traveling.
What about the friends left behind? It is not every day that you are blessed with meeting someone who becomes apart of you, someone who understands you, someone who knows what you are thinking even before you say it to yourself. I am fortunate to have many very wonderful friends but with each friend we create a different bond. Some for work, some for play, and some with whom we create a soul-enriching bond. This departing friend is one of those special souls who make a difference in your life just by being a part of it.
'Each friend represents a world in us,She is part of a small circle of very loving and caring women who have created a new world for me.
a world possibly not born until they arrive,
and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born.'
I am going to miss the times we spent together, drink in hand by the river's edge. I am going to miss her warm friendly smile. I am going to miss her physical presence. As we get older we realize the true value of friendship.
Hmmm...but, thank goodness for modern communication and transportation...
I haven't been to Calgary in many years, I wonder how the west has changed...
...so maybe it isn't 'good-bye', maybe it's 'see you soon!'
