college
We heard a car pulling into the gravel driveway. I went to the door to greet the first guests to arrive. Approaching the door was my former college roommate and his wife. Although we had met for a brief time to partially catch up some six months before, the memories of college life some forty five years before came rushing back. We were settling down for warm conversation and a brief recap of our Mediterranean and Aegean cruise and their excitement over an upcoming Panama Canal cruise they had planned when the second car arrived. Before me was another college dorm mate who had been a dear friend during those years long ago. He and his girlfriend settled into the warmth of the old farmhouse and we all chatted about times past and fond memories that seemed to flood our minds as though they were yesterday. Over our sumptuous lunch so lovingly made we each gave a brief account of careers and adventures since our graduation in 1968. Much had transpired and interestingly each man’s career had centered on one form or another of teaching and facilitating learning. The time together seemed to pass so quickly as each bid their farewell to homes two hours away. As I returned to the warmth of the farmhouse after wishing each safe travel back to their respective homes, I was filled with thankfulness for heartfelt reconnections with friends who had been and are now again so dear. I cherish with gratitude those special memories of times gone by and the anticipation of new memories to be created.
A voice sounding vaguely familiar said he was calling for a person with my name and that he was a friend from my college years. I felt it too late in the evening to return the call by the time the message was retrieved. The next morning I dialed the number recorded on my phone. The man who answered was indeed a friend from my college years who was also my roommate for three of those years. As we talked, he told me he and his brother were on the way to the city near the farm. I lost no time determining where they were going to be and what time they were expected to arrive. Seeing this man after more than forty years was such a delight. We had so much to share and each took turns filling in only a few of the lost years since we last saw one another. Vowing to meet again soon with another recently rekindled college buddy, we said our farewell for that day. Filled with thankfulness for the reconnection with a dear old friend, I marveled at the blessing that life has been. I was reminded that sometimes the old becomes the new!