Friendship

I must admit it, I was a Girl Scout.

A Brownie and then a Girl Scout, until I went to 8th grade.

They have a really good motto:  Be Prepared

I like that.  And I've embraced that concept since the.  I liked to do my homework when I got home, and hand it in on time.  Not last minute.

As a nurse in charge of an ICU and then a Recovery Room, I would have mock codes so we could practice and make sure we all knew what each of our jobs were to best insure the patient's recovery.

And being prepared was invaluable as I did "family", a lot of time by myself since Rob was off caring for others in the ER, OR or the office.  Someone asked me one time why I had the table set for dinner at about 1:00pm, it was so early.  "Because before I know it, it will be 5:00 and the kids will be getting hungry and crabby and I'll be making dinner and it will be one less thing I have to do."

But the Girl Scouts have a really good signature song too! 

"Make new friends but keep the old!  One is Silver and the other Gold!"

These neighborhood friends are gold to me. 

We've done life together for over 30 years.  One came in 1972, another in 1978 and we arrived in Canton with our four children in 1987.

But we've also done death together.  A brother, a sister.  Parents, grandparents and aunts and uncles.

We've grown our children up together.  Soccer, hockey, golf, horses, lacrosse, track, and swimming teams, plays, band, sports camps, homecoming dances, prep schools, and then graduation parties, college tours and choices.   Bridal showers followed, weddings,  receptions, and now baby showers and grandchildren.

We've done hospital guild boards, historical society boards, Save Historic Canton association, Study Group and Dinner Club together.

We've done flower gardens, camps, cars and lawn sales, and neighborhood friends.  We've exchanged dishes and silverware, napkins and ideas.

We've followed each others pictures as we've all been all over the world visiting our children as they in turn, have gone to the 4 corners of the earth, each following their dreams.

We've done this getting older thing together too, and all the various things that includes; stents and ports and values and radiation and.....

Recovery

Front porch, back porch, kitchens, dining rooms.....

Friendships

Invaluable