Even though it was too hot to garden, I revived a portion of my autumn’s garden this past weekend, reconnecting with four friends, Kris, Lauren, Bronnie, and Linda who know way too much about my “roots” and I ain’t talking about Lady Clairol!

How cool were we, we wondered?

Staying in touch with them is a rare gift in this age and stage of an autumns’ garden. So, when some friends organized a getaway to reconnect us before a memorial service or two might be what draws us together, I loved the idea of reconnecting.

For almost a year, I had looked forward to a more personal get-together with these long-time friends than our fiftieth high school reunion had been. (Why I Went to This High School Reunion) After all,

Real friends are those who, when you’ve made a fool of yourself, don’t feel that you’ve done a permanent job. ~Erwin T. Randall, quoted in The Reader’s Digest, 1955

 Some of us went through elementary school, and junior high; all of us went through high school together. While we all knew a bit about one another’s grown-up lives . . . sort of . . . it was just time to reconnect and revive friendships.

We planned it last summer, accepting the invitation of a friend to party at her weekend home on the eastern shore of Maryland.

But none of us remembered the July weather.

Or, we were just so excited to get together we forgot to remember the weather we all endured growing up sans air-conditioning in Baltimore!

As the weekend arrived, reality set in as we learned the weekend forecast – we were in for a scorcher! When we all arrived, we agreed it was too hot to stay anywhere but in the air-conditioning. So, we gazed at the river and swimming pool through glass, and settled in for a good time.

And a good time we had – sharing memories, opinions, and other tidbits lounging about on comfy sofas and chairs, or eating favorite food. This was not a weekend to obsess over calories but to enjoy the bounty!

Would you agree, when you see our fare?

Maryland crab cakes, fresh tomatoes and sweet corn; fresh fruit and Berger cookies;
a breakfast casserole deluxe;
smoked salmon, fresh shrimp and
the classic staple of all our parties: sour cream and onion dip!

The only concession to age and stage were the raw veggies we dipped and not Fritos or ripple chips.  (You knew the food would make a big impression, right, dear reader?)

The greater luxury, though, was unfettered time with old friends whose memories had some matching threads to mine.  One of my friends often said I think I remember this right, but it may not be true . . . before opening up a memory. That’s exactly how some of my memories are boxed!

Skimming our yearbook, in turn we asked each other

Do you remember the time _______________?

Whatever happened to ___________________? 

Looking at pictures of so many bright-eyed, hopeful eighteen years olds, we knew some died in war, from AIDS, cancer, and . . . age.  Memory lane is not without thorns.

But thorns usually come with roses. Roses are a better focus, right? So we closed the yearbook and did a bit of gardening–  digging up memories, and sharing how our personal gardens are growing.

We each have lived through some strange, hard, and great times  – and lived to laugh about so much of it. Well, ok, a few tears clouded our eyes as we laughed at ourselves and with each other.

Revived I felt and reconnected to people whose friendships are not just blurry memories.

Mission accomplished.

Revived, Reconnected and Oh So Cool

The most beautiful discovery true friends make is that they can grow separately without growing apart. ~ Elizabeth  Foley

Revived Through Reconnections

A click of the shutter, a crank of the film, and you’ve caught forever a significant bit of life. ~Willis Peterson

Quotes are from Quotegarden.com