The Friendships You Hold

I'm watching, from halfway across the country, Beatrix make new friends at college. I'm cheering her on as she gets to know them, and goes on adventures, and gets a concussion from being accidentally knocked in the back of the head with a lunch tray, and sits out on the North Lawn at night talking to them as the skunks wander through the brush. I'm loving her tell us about how her friends from school are doing in their new campuses, and what her circus friends are up to. It feels like an on-demand version of the Girl Scouts song about making new friends and keeping the old.

One of my best friends from high school, Heather, was just here for her high school reunion. I went with her to the all-school part of the reunion on Friday night; she spent the night and we stayed up until 1am talking and picked up the conversation for several more hours over coffee yesterday morning. Spending time with her was FANTASTIC, remembering the friendship we had but also picking up where we are now. Heather is magical and I loved every minute spent with her.

My friend Antay passed away overnight after a simultaneously long but too-short period of time with cancer. I first met Antay when we worked at Jeune Lune together, and he always said I was the first friend he made there. Antay was brilliant, and caring, and talented, and open and vulnerable. He loved his family, especially his husband and their dogs, to distraction. He was a consummate storyteller. I loved staying in touch with him on Facebook because he was so generous in sharing his life and experience that you always felt like you were right there with him. Waking up to this news made a gray day even grayer. Antay, I hope you knew how loved you were by so many.



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