Category Archives: friendship

May20

do not forget alphabets.

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for the second time

we tried to surprise

a dear friend

to celebrate her milestone birthday

and round two came very close to not happening

when life circumstances intervened

just a few hours before.

 we quickly began planning

what our third attempt would look like

when she turned the tables

and surprised all of us

by showing up

at the appointed hour.

—

“new friends may be poems but old friends are alphabets.

do not forget alphabets, because you will need them to read the poems.”

*author: not shakespeare

*this is another one of those quotes that seems to have come up someplace and wandered around a bit until someone put “shakespeare once said…” in front of it and it stuck.  

May6

long distance connection.

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how exciting for the class (and for me)

to receive a beautiful poster and message

from our penpal friends

led by a blogging friend/teacher i admire, jennie fitzkee

all the way from the aqua room in massachusetts

connections can be made in so many wonderful ways.

jennie with  the letter we sent back to our friends in massachusetts

https://jenniefitzkee.com/2023/05/03/thank-you-letters/

—

“with a little paper and ink –

and some help from the postal service –

friendship can span many years and many miles.”

-caroline rose kraft

Mar13

blockbuster or bust.

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it was ladies’ night at my friend’s house

we had a bit of wine and chat and lots of laughter

the hostess suggested that we should get a movie

and try as she might

she could not remember its name

but it was ‘really good’

couldn’t remember the main stars

‘but we would recognize them immediately’

she put in a call to blockbuster

where they had every current movie

 the kind person/movie nerd at the store

answered the phone

the experts were standing by

 to help her figure out the title

when we heard her explain

that it was really good

had 2 popular stars

and a 3-word title

beginning with the word ‘the’

we absolutely lost it

the poor person on the phone

worked for 20 minutes

trying to jog her memory for more details

finally giving up and apologizing

now, that’s customer service

i really miss blockbuster

something about the excitement

going to pick out a movie

families, couples, friends, singles

taking turns and negotiating

hoping the one you really wanted was still there

so much comedy and drama all in one place.

“vague questions deserve vague answers”

-ristretto

Oct14

sprinkle magic.

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a tribe not my own, but with the same kind of spirit

—

“surround yourself with people who add value to your life.

who challenge you to be greater than you were yesterday.

who sprinkle magic into your existence,

just like you do to theirs.

life isn’t meant to be done alone.

find your tribe, and journey freely and loyalty together.”

-alex elle

Aug3

storytelling.

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not us, but actors with a similar communication style

—

getting together with my friend yesterday to catch up,

with our usual mutual understanding:

“if i’m telling you a story be prepared to have 7 mini conversations and 19 other stories thrown into it.”

Aug2

marcel.

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this film.

i recently saw it with one daughter and two grandies

based on a youtube character created by comedians who were bored at a wedding

with low expectations, just wanting to be entertained

i was not prepared for this poignant, sweet, sad, funny, and heartwarming story

a documentary with a perfect blend of stop-action and live-action film

you may recognize some of the humans who appear on the screen

not an action film but fully a reaction film

give it time, it’s slow, it’s quiet, it’s incredibly touching, and will enchant all ages

it’s seeing the world through marcel’s tiny eyes,

as he deals with joy, love, loss, fear, grief, courage, and a renewal of life

 reminding us of the importance of family, friendship, support, and connections of all kinds.

–

This poem, The Trees, by Phillip Larkin, was read at a pivotal point in the film and is so fitting:

Dec26

still standing.

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The lighter penguin is an elderly female whose partner died this year. The darker one is a younger male who lost his partner two years ago. Biologists have followed them as they meet every night to comfort each other. They stand for hours together watching the lights in Melbourne. Photographer Tobias Baumgaertner captured this image of two widowed fairy penguins looking over the Melbourne skyline. It has won an award in Oceanographic magazine’s Ocean Photography Awards 2020.

—

“at the end of the day, the ones who really matter

will be the ones standing next to you watching the sun set

and assuring you that it will rise again in the morning.”

-ash sweeney

 

 

 

 

—

story credit: natureblowsmymind

Nov17

ancestors.

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we’ve been friends for over 40 years

at this gathering

following a recent loss

we came to realize

that between the four of us

we have but one surviving birth parent

making us close to all being orphans

we paid tribute 

offered gratitude

to those who came before us

with all of their strengths and challenges

for had they not lived

there would be no us

nor our children

nor our grandchildren

nor those yet to come.

—

“the songs of our ancestors are also the songs of our children”

-phillip carr-gomm