Patty and me August 25, 2009I recently had dinner with a very dear friend of mine, Patty. She and I have been friends since we were 5 years old. Our friendship started when my parents moved from a family farm house to a country setting where finding playmates was a little difficult. Once Patty and I discovered each other, we became inseparable.
Patty lived down a very long driveway back in the woods and I lived down a quiet country road about a block away. I remember thinking it took forever to get to her house while my Mom and I walked down her driveway. Patty and I had completely different lifestyles, her father was an orthopedic surgeon and my dad was a farmer. Her mom was a doctors wife, with an active social life, my mom was farmers wife, cooking, canning, cleaning and working part-time outside the home. We both learned so much about life from each others family. We shared some of the greatest times of our lives as best friends, growing up together. We started as little girls in kindergarten and grew into women with families of our own.
Our friendship continued on into young adulthood. We planned our weddings together and had our babies together. In time we grew apart as our families took priority in our lives. We continued to stay in touch occasionally over the years, however, we didn't spend time together sharing our lives and nurturing our friendship. All that changed a few months ago when Patty and I ran into one another at a restaurant during her daughters wedding rehearsal dinner. A few weeks later we met for dinner and talked for hours! This past Tuesday evening was our second dinner date, this time we included her wonderful husband Dennis. Again we talked for hours, sharing, laughing and enjoying each others company.
Friendship is a true blessing and friends are a gift from God. I marvel at the fact that friends can lose touch for several years and pick up exactly where they left off , as if they had never been apart. Patty is dear friend and a timeless treasure! I love you Patty!
