Friendships

According to Webster’s New World Dictionary, the definition of a friend is a person whom  one knows well and is fond of; an associate or close acquaintance. A friend could also be a person on the same side in a struggle, one who is not an enemy or foe; an ally.

A friend is your supporter or sympathizer.   A person thought of as a friend is helpful and reliable.

What would this world be like without friends, old and new? We have elementary, middle school, high school and college friends as we grow and mature.

When we enter the working world, we meet new people and make friends with our colleagues if we’re lucky.  When we’re older, we make new friends in hospitals and nursing facilities.

Last week I had the privilege and delight in seeing how wonderful old friendships last. I was invited to have lunch with a group of “older” acquaintances who were R-HHS graduates ahead of this reporter in school.  These were menfolk with a few women scattered here and there!

Coach Leo Garrett was a mainstay at Randolph-Henry High School in the 1950’s. About 20 years ago, he contacted some of his former athletes for lunch to renew old friendships. This Dutch-treat luncheon got to be a ritual that was held every few months with some of his other students joining up along the way.

Later, after Coach Garrett’s death, the men still carried on this tradition under the leadership of Berkley Cobb who resides in Farmville, Va. The wives of these men were always invited to attend and a few years ago, I finally joined them one day for lunch.

To make a long story short, a few wives formed a pact of their own and began to meet in a separate dining room on the same day. Last week other women friends were invited and the group decided to “greet, meet and eat” together.

Somehow, during the past few years, the men’s group has grown from former R-H athletes to include non-athletes who attended high school during the 1950’s.

Many topics were discussed on both sides of the dining room and laughter filled the room. I do believe that everyone who attended (and it was a large group) left with a happy smile. It was truly a fun lunch for everyone who could make it that day. Berkley calls his long list of folks, sets the date, and if one can attend, they do!

These lunch gatherings truly showed this reporter how important it is to keep old friends. These are the people with whom your life is shared. They share your happiness, your sadness and your sorrows. They are there to encourage when major health problems occur; true blue friends! It brings a happy closeness that can’t be explained.

Politics, religion, and world problems are not discussed. The camaraderie is evident in the whole room. It’s a nice group of men, and now women, who respect each other and want to keep their friendships as long as they can!