Friendships Renewed

My husband and I have lived in five different towns located in three different states over the course of 43 years of marriage. Each place that we lived stands out in my mind for a variety of reasons, but there is one thread that is common to all five of those places: that is the friendships that were formed during our time there. And from each place there has been at least one or more friendships that have held on through each move and that are still a meaningful part of our lives today.
This afternoon my husband and I had a call from a friend we hadn't seen for at least 20 years. We met this friend early in our marriage and enjoyed many good times with him and his wife. However, as some times happens, they were divorced and he moved away. While we had kept in touch with his wife over the years we had lost track of him. So, it was with a great deal of surprise and pleasure when he called and asked if we had some time to get together while he was traveling through our city.
There is something very satisfying when you see someone after 20 years; immediately recognize them and see the smile in their eyes. The joy of the lingering hug that says, "It is so... good to see you again" cannot be described! In an hour we caught up on each other's lives, our kids, our jobs and all those details that took years to experience but take only minutes to bring everyone up to the present.
Friendships are some of the best blessings we have in our lives and my life has been richly blessed with many, many wonderful friends. All of these friends are special and always will be. But today we were doubly blessed with a friendship we thought we had lost! I'll recall that smile of greeting and that hug that lingered for a long, long time.