Friendship-I know I said I was on'hiatus'...but this was on my mind.

Tip of The Day

Hold a true friend with both your hands." - Nigerian Proverb

In the midst of everything going on in my life right now, I have found myself thinking about old friends. Now that I live a block away from my Highshool Alma Mater, I especially find myself thinking about my old High School Chums. I went to school with both of my Godson's parents. Trish was one of my BEST friends in HS, and Francis was in at least ONE of my classes every semester, for the duration of HS. I am so thankful that we are still in touch. For most of my favorite memories from HS, Tricia was there or knew about it! And no matter what, Francis was always there to lend a shoulder to cry on, give advice, or joke around. And besides Elaine (MANGO!!), there isn't really anyone else that I keep in touch with on a regular basis. SAD when you think about how much of a social butterfly I was. That is what happens when one moves to another county and hooks up with a jealous, insecure commitment phobe. Now I am slowly but surely getting in touch with people again. Which brings me to what I wanted to write about in the first place. Whenever I leave my house, I drive by someplace that sparks a memory. Throughout my life, I have get what I refer to as 'intuitive flashes'. For the past week, I have been wondering what my friend Elliott was up to. I'd drive by places in the neighborhood, and I would wonder where he was, if he had a family of his own now, did he keep in touch with anyone in our old group, etc. Oddly enough, I came across a newspaper article posted to the 'net. My friends name leapt from the article. Epecially the part that mentioned he was from the Bay Area. How many Elliott Valerio's could there be from the San Francisco Bay area? Of course, I googled his name and rank, and found a picture. Yep! That was him. Now to figure out how to get a hold of him. According to the article, he was right smack in the middle of Iraq. Who knows where he is now? It was dated 2004. Then there is Dena Maionchi. I really miss her. I often drive past the court she lived in, on my way to my various errands. She was funny, vivacious, caring and a terrific friend. How is she? Does she have a family of her own? Little ones? What is she doing for a living? How much has she changed?It has been 10 years since I have seen her. Elliott and Dena, (or anyone who knows them), if you are out there and happen to find this, get in touch with me. I hope you two are safe. For some reason, you two have been on my mind lately, and there is usually a reason. Besides the fact that I miss you guys, I hope that the reason bears good news. Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay for awhile and leave footprints on our hearts. And we are never, ever the same.-- Anonymous