book- tim

Place on page 342, after para 2 ( people in need..)

Old friends are supposed to last forever. Like the Kenny Rogers/ Dolly Parton songs says, "You Can't Make Old Friends." Many of my childhood pals are gone. Many are only fond memories now. But one friend who has followed me all through my life, someone who fades away and then out of the blue reappears, is Tim.

As I wrote earlier, I first met Tim when we rode the taxi dab together back and forth to grade school. I helped to take care of his mother when she was a resident at the Manor long ago. And every few years we would lose touch, phone numbers forgotten, and then, like it was meant to be, strange circumstances would reconnect us again.

The same thing happened after I was retired. I hadn't heard from Tim in a long time. Suddenly he called me during the time we were both stuck inside, quarrentined during the terrible Corona Virus outbreak. Maybe he was lonely, or bored or scared, but it was good to hear his voice again, like always. His voice and infectious laugh had not changed. Both were reassuring to hear again.

When he visited one summer afternoon after life got back to normal, we played catch-up, reminicsing about days  fifty years ago when we would both kids. Now we both have massive music collections ( always a common bond). Tim met Holly again and both dogs for the first time. And he was fascinated by the wonders of our personal assistant, Alexa. Times really had changed.

We call each other once a week to stay in touch, chatting about life, memories, world events, the weather, anything that comes to mind. Every time we talk we are amazed  of our survival, of being on the other side of life and better off for it. There is a certain pride that we both had the determination, persistance, strength and faith to come such a long way, still unbroken. As Tim says with his familar laugh, "I can't believe we are still here!"

It's true- you can't make an old friend like Tim. We  are both  older and retired. Life is good. Now I don't fracture as much and he doesn't have as many seizures as when we were kids. Now, in our later years, we are both  enjoying life and taking it one day at a time.    We  weathered many bad  storms in our  lifetime and are still kicking to tell about it- always with  a smile.