Friends in All Places

I thought of the Garth Brooks song, "friends in low places" when I thought of writing today.   Actually, I have friends from all places and now live in all places.  Yes, many of the friends I am referring to have been a friend to me when I was in low places.  I am thankful for them all!  It is turning out to be a busy week in Arizona with visiting friends six days in a row!  Here's the run down and a walk down memory lane on our relationships.

Friday, we hosted Diana & Jerry, originally from Minnesota, now living full-time in Arizona. Diana and I became friends in 1981, when we both worked at a half-way house for chemically dependent adolescents.  She brought laughter and hugs to our program.  We found a common bond in way our dads would do the one-finger wave while driving and meeting other cars on the road.  Another bond we found was our desire to travel and on our breaks, we would pore over maps and talk about the next place we wanted to visit or live.  California was a place I still wanted to see, as I had passed it up on my 1980 "Independence trip" to go to Colorado instead when I reached a crossroads on that trip.  So, it was in 1982 that she called me and said, "I'm moving to California and I have a free place to live for 3 months."  Well, so our friendship continued as we both moved to California.

Saturday, we met for breakfast with Jim & Judy from Texas, now living full-time in Arizona.  Paul met Jim at golf in Texas and we discovered we all went to the same church.  We went to breakfast after church with them a few times.  Then in later years in Texas, both Jim and I were on the Board of Directors at our respective communities and we would commiserate about the responsibilities and hassles of being on a board.  Shortly after we moved to Wisconsin, I saw on Facebook that they had moved to Arizona.  So, we connected with them and have seen them twice now.

Today, we are visiting and watching the Super Bowl with Doug & Grace, who have been living about nine years in Arizona.  We share a special bond with them because we are the two married couples from the company we worked in the 1980's.  Grace and I worked at an urgent care clinic company in Long Beach, CA.  Doug and Paul worked at the same company at the headquarters in New Orleans, LA.  We were all single and two romances and marriages came out of those jobs.  

Tomorrow, we are visiting Russell & Melissa from Ohio, who are visiting his parents in Arizona. They were on the Star Clipper's sailing ship cruise in the Caribbean about six years ago.  We shared a couple of excursions and the dining table every night.   Between three couples, we drank the ship dry of a certain wine we all liked.  We connected on Facebook and two years ago as Paul and I traveled to the Northeast, we were their guests in their fifth-wheel RV for the night.  All of us share a love of cruising and often write back and forth about our cruising.  This past December, we connected again on our Panama Canal cruise.  However, it was not the best cruise for any of us.  Paul was sick with pneumonia and Melissa and I both had colds. Then Russell got word that his father was critically ill, so they left the ship early.  Eager to get together with them and share some good times!

Tuesday, I am meeting Kathy for lunch.  Kathy is my newest friend of the group, as  I met her on the December cruise.  Paul was sick in his room and I went to buffet for something to eat.  I saw a lady sitting at a four-top table by herself and asked if the seats were saved for someone, and then asked if I could join her.  Turned out, she had moved to Tempe, Arizona which is not far from where we are staying.  We shared email addresses and promised to get together while we are in Arizona.  Turns out she was raised in St. Paul, Minnesota...therefore the Minnesota Nice in her personality.

Wednesday, we are hosting Lynn & Kathy originally from River Falls, now living full-time in Arizona.  We met 44 years ago last month while working at the same factory.  Lynn and Kathy were probably the first couple of our age that I hung out with myself and other single women.   They would get wild and crazy like us at times and at other times be the "parent" we needed to keep us in line.  Even though they are only three years older than me, I have always respected and admired them as "family."

Yes, these friends have been there for me in a lot of places....geographically, professionally, emotionally.  I am so fortunate to have these Friends in All Places!