What a weekend. The family and I left on Friday afternoon to head to our hometown of Bedford, Ohio for the wedding of Heather’s youngest sister. “My Girls”, “The Boy” and Heather were all in the wedding so it was an exciting time for everyone. There is always a part of me that still loves going “home” to where my roots are planted. While the condition of my old hometown is not what I remembered it to be, one thing is for sure…the people never change. You really can go home.
One take away from this weekend is that no matter how many miles, years or changes separate people, when there is a bond that is formed, nothing can ever break that. This weekend I was reminded of how strong and real friendships are as I spent some time with some old friends. I’m amazed how 10 years can seem like 10 minutes when you meet up with old friends. When I spent some time with guys like Gary and Ern, it was as if we were on the old softball fields again.
One other mark of friendships that last forever is that they still answer the bell when you are in a time of need. With Heather’s responsibilities in the wedding, I was flying solo trying to keep 2 little girls dresses clean neat and organized and one little boys tux from permanent damage. Just when I needed help most, there were old friends saying “You need a hand?” and “if there’s anything I can do to help, just let me know”. That’s friendship. That’s community. That’s going home.
Awesome for you!! I hope you’re going to share some pics!
Love ya, man. It was so good to be with you and your kids. It was truly a blessing to “lend you a hand.” I am proud of the dad that you are and I am proud to call you friend. I hope we can get together before the next wedding, because that will probably be one of OUR kids. Hope the summer continues to go well for you and yours.
Thanks for the time you took away from all the stuff to chat me up a while. Funny how after all this time the talk still comes easy, like picking up a conversation left off the day before. It’s the same way with Ernie and our once-in-a-while coffee time at Panera. It was a joy having you guys in my SS class, and later on building friendships on the ballfield – and on our knees. I suppose if we stay there everything will turn out OK.
Rindy – Remarkably due to our involvement in the wedding I don’t know that we took any pictures of my crew all dressed up. We’re hoping that the photographer for the wedding got some. I can tell you that the girls (all 3 of them) were beautiful. “The Boy” looked great in his tux too!
Ern – You were a lifesaver a few times there. More importantly was the walk down memory lane and sharing visions and stories for community and the church. We absolutely have to do this more often!
Gary – Thanks for the comment!! You are so right about the knees. Sharing that time with others makes the battle worth fighting. Great seeing you and I promise next time I will know your son when I see him. 🙂