Sometimes I make a mental collage of all the friends I've had. I use a plethora of colors, weights and textures of paper with some pieces shaped neatly and others roughly torn. As new pieces are added some of the older ones are almost in danger of getting pushed out because their colors have faded and edges curled. Other pieces are large, glistening and some are even crumpled to add volume and texture. I treasure this collage because each and every one of these friends hold a special place in my heart.
I wish I knew the formula for how a friend happens. What's the attraction? Am I mirrored in them? Surely they represent and mark events in my life. I paint regularly with a group and see into their very souls through their art work. We celebrate birthdays and other milestone like sales of art pieces or other accolades. We joke that we allow each other to be princesses. (The lady who insisted we wear the dreaded birthday crown has passed away, but we still keep a supply in the cupboard, just in case...) Every minute of each day people I have know and loved come to mind. To remember them renews the pleasure I (you may call me Princess Inclement of Siberia) had interacting with them first-hand. I hear their voices, their laughs.
It's definitely time to begin writing about them in a journal for that purpose. While I can bring out the snapshots from over the years to paste in the journal's pages, I need to specify and write the phrases and key bits of information that truly exemplify US as one being. Bette Midler said years ago and by far best: "You gotta have friends."
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