Old Friends

[JoeMo]

As I age, I have had a yearning to get in touch with old friends from my "glory days".  Evidently, some of my old friends have had the same urge. I have heard from a flurry of them over the past several days.  My old college roommate - whom I have seen maybe 3 times in 50 years - stopped by the house for a few hours.  One of our mutual college friends called me a few days ago.  I wished an old girlfriend a happy 68th birthday; and we chatted a while.  It was bittersweet.  It made me think of two old songs - "Old Friends" by Simon and Garfunkel and "Glory Days" by Bruce Springsteen.  One of the most poignant lines in either song is "Can you imagine us years from today, sharing a park bench quietly. How terribly strange to be 70".  I'm in my 70th year now. Some of you are there or beyond, I'm sure.

As I age, I find it more difficult to make new friends.  Oh, it's easy to make acquaintances but friends like I had in my glory days are few and far between.  And so many of them are very ill or mentally out of it.  I see it in my siblings as well.

I am thankful to still be relatively healthy.  I am thankful for old friends who still stay in touch. I am thankful for the few new friends I have been able to make (to replace those who have died or left).  I look forward to reuniting with many of them in the Kingdom.  Thank God for my faith that gives me the hope of being reunited with those I have lost over the past 69 years.  I thank God for you all as my "social media" friends - my only social media fans.

Old Friends: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3NYWzHLEZw

 

[B/W Photodude]

1 hour ago, JoeMo said:

As I age, I have had a yearning to get in touch with old friends from my "glory days".

As I age, I find it more difficult to make new friends.  Oh, it's easy to make acquaintances but friends ...

Hopefully you will have better luck than the situations noted in this story:

https://www.baltimoresun.com/opinion/op-ed/bs-ed-op-1021-lonley-men-20181018-story.html

[JoeMo]

58 minutes ago, B/W Photodude said:

Hopefully you will have better luck than the situations noted in this story:

It's not so much loneliness that gets to me.  It's an increasing feeling of my own mortality as I see people my age deteriorate around me.  I'm blessed because I'm relatively healthy now.

Like the men described in the article, I think my wife is my best friend.  We've bee together almost 40 years.  She is in deteriorating health. Nothing serious yet; but enough to make me worried about what I would do if she wasn't there anymore.

Getting old ain't for sissies.

[phkrause]

For me its not so much a problem making friends or wanting to have more friends, etc. I do the same, I think about why don't I have more friends, but than I think well I'm 70 now and I don't have the willingness to go out like I did when in my 30s, 40s! Back than I was working, than out playing baseball, basketball, doing things with the kids, family, traveling, etc. Now we have all we can do to take care of the house, car, etc. Also if they live close enough, we have family that we help take care of they homes too. Like the past number of years when my Mom was alive, I had our house and hers to cut grass, fix things that start to break down and this all as we age. And even if we are lucky enough to be healthy, we still slow down as we age. For me I have my grandkids now to take care of and raise. So for me I'm busy enough that I'd rather not have anymore friends, because than your obligated to visit or entertain!! No I think I'd rather not have anymore friends. ? And if we are into witnessing for God then we have those hours to be with others too!!