That's What Friends Are For

by Stu Seeger

Sometimes friends show up at the most serendipitous times. Once we told a friend of ours at Thanksgiving that we would be in Disney World around Christmas. He was going on vacation at the same time and thought he might swing by Florida. On a whim, we said, we're planning to be at Epcot on this day and and so on. One month later, we were at Epcot walking past the Norweigan Exhibit when we here someone calling our name out of a crowd of about three or four thousand people that were in that area at the time. It was our friend. Amazing, huh. Well, that night we all had a fabulous leisurely supper in Morocco at Epcot with plenty of talking, laughter and jokes.

I called another friend today because I hadn't heard from her in about a week. This is really not that unusual because we both get busy. But she was getting ready to to call me when I called her. She needed to visit and talk. So here she is. It's wonderful that it works like that.

I want to say to everyone, value your friends. Since my family moved around a bit when I was young, I don't actually have any lifelong friends that are not somehow related to me by blood. My sweetie on the other hand, has friends he's known since kindergarten. I have to say that's pretty special.

To develop friendships and maintain them is imperative for our mental health. When family passes away or moves on, it's our friends who are there to support us. We are there to support them as well. As Barbra Streisand sang, "People who need people are the luckiest people." The people who are needed are lucky too. Since we humans are social creatures, we need companionship. I love my animals and they are wonderful beings to help restore my spirits when I'm down. However, it's not the same as friend who has laughed and cried with you and you with them, who knows just where you're at and you know when they need you.

Please say a prayer for my friend in need.

Late Night Nonsense

'Twas the night before Tuesday and all through the farm,

various creatures were stirring with no alarm.

Backpacks and papers lay here and there,

On the counter and tabletops, without a care.

The children, those two, were sleeping warm in their beds,
While thoughts of heroes and songs filled their heads;

Poppi in his hair tie, and I by the screen,

In bed he did lie, while I was typing,

Away I wrote with abandon, verve and flash,
While cats opened the unlatched living room window sash

As time wore on, cold air would blow,

While I worked feverishly for the flow,

Of words and inspiration to appear;

But the web traffic was not so clear.

With whirling circles and blank tabs,

All I could see were bits of inline ads.

More rapid than taxes, drowsiness did arrive,
As I struggled with 'div class', template and Analyze

What composition would inspire my blog,

but a classic poem arrived in sleep-addled fog.

Then with a quick search, the text was found,

words arrived and swirled around.

Onto the virtual page they soon were written,

Yet into the night, I went on sittin'

Until, at long last, the creation was complete,

As I kicked my shoes off my feet.

Before I turn in to bed,

one thing more is to be said,

Thank you to friends and family,

Good night, God bless and ZZZzzzzzzzz...