A song that I learned during my girl scout day camp years has been playing through my mind the last couple of weeks. Which is really weird, considering I never really liked the song - but what can you do? It goes like this:
"Make new friends, but keep the old-
One is silver and the other gold."
Even as a grade-school girl, I thought this was an unfair comparison, because gold is OBVIOUSLY much more precious than silver. I wondered which friend was silver and which gold - was the old one silver? Or the new one? I felt sorry for the friend that was silver.
Still.... I suppose I understood the message of the song, regardless of the unfair comparison. And it has probably been haunting me because I've been thinking about friends a lot lately. I have been blessed with incredible friends throughout my life.Here are just a few of them....
I have mostly taken for granted the fact that I have a lot of great friends, but in a conversation with my sister recently, she commented on how she's always been envious of my ability to make and keep friends. I began to realize that maybe this is one of the gifts I have been blessed with in this life. I suppose part of being close to friends is the fact that I have had more time to spend with friends in my lifetime, due to the lack of a husband and kids to make demands on my time.
But more and more lately, my closest friends are the "old" ones (sorry, guys - I'm not saying you're "old", just that I have known you a long time!) I have a lot of casual friends and acquaintances, but that deep "soul connection" doesn't seem to happen often. I treasure and hold close the loved ones in my life. One of the most difficult experiences I've ever had to this point in my life was the recent loss of a "gold" friend. With great love, unfortunately, comes great pain, and at times, loss.
In an attempt to find some measure of healing for my broken heart, I spent a few days during my Fall Break on a road trip with someone who has been an acquaintance of mine for the past few years. I have never spent so much 24/7 time with someone who wasn't already a good friend. From the beginning and throughout this trip, though, a solid "new friend" connection was made. We found we have a lot in common, despite our different journeys through life. In short, we bonded. So, although I will always "keep" my old friends, whether here or in the next life, I find that I can also continue to make new friends. And, perhaps, they are all silver and gold mixed in together.
