Oz don't need no lucky...

I was out the other night and met a friend that I had not seen in 20 or so years. We sat and talked over a cup of coffee for a while. It was great to catch up, compare war stories, and generally try to get each other to remember people and events long-forgotten. It was a great time, so thanks, Sharon.

It got me to thinking...how did I loose contact with so many people that I was close to at one time or another? Really strange, when I look back, how often it happened. Here's a good example.

I grew up in a small town in SE Oklahoma. When we moved there, I was about 6 years old, and, of course, knew nobody. The second kid that I met was Maurice. He and I became fast friends, and we were together from Head Start (poor people's kindergarten) thru high school. We even spent a year or two in college together. Then I lost touch with him. We got together at a class reunion or two, and I got a couple of Christmas cards from him, but I never knew where he was or how he was doing. And, sadly enough, I never made much effort to find out. I was too busy living my own life, but Maurice as one of the people who helped me find my way in this old world during those turbulent teen-aged days. He probably didn't know it at the time (and neither did I for that matter), but he taught me a lot. Long story short, I got back in touch with him recently, and as it turns out, he lives about 20 minutes from me. Crazy stuff!

I suppose it's because I'm a little older, and hopefully wiser, but I'm beginning to really wonder about the people that I grew up with. I want to know that they are OK. I want them to know that I think about them often. I especially want to thank them for all that they have done to help me on this little road trip. I know that in the grand scheme of things, my life is fairly inconsequential, but it's a pretty big deal in my world. I could not have done what little I have accomplished without lots of help from friends, many of whom had no idea that they were helping to make a person. To those people, I owe a debt of gratitude that I can never repay. Instead, I'll follow their fine examples, and I'll be a friend to someone, and maybe I can return the favor in some small way.

When my kids were growing up, I tried to get them to understand that the people you choose to be associated with were the people that would help to define who you would become. I hoped and prayed that they would look below the surface and pick friends that would be around no matter what. My kids did ok, they choose well. Looks like they took after dear old Dad, because I have great friends too. Rest assured, friends, if you're out there, I'll find you.

I guess the point to all of this is, if you choose your friends wisely and pay attention to what they are trying to teach you, 'lucky' just may be optional. Yeah, it's pretty sappy...blame it on being 50.

Love you all!

RD