Friends

34°f, about 1°C. Cloudy and dnow flurries.

Jim's post about friends struck home with me,especially after learning of the death of yet one more friend. 

Augusta Heritage Workshops 2010, singing classmates and teacher. We stay in touch to this day. Sally, Peg who passed away 5 years ago, Liam who is a doctor today, another Sally, his dad, me before I turned so gray, dear Karen who left this world on Thursday, our teacher Irish musician and singer extraordinaire Robbie O'Connell, and Tara. What a fine group of singers.

How do we make friends? Why do some people become our friends, but others remain simply acquaintances? 

For me, friends have come from the many strands of my life. A few are from childhood and school, and I lost touch with all of them until Facebook came along and there they were! It has been nice to rekindle those friendships. I wasn't close with some of them in school but Facebook made it easy to get to know each other better. One of these is Mary Lou,  who i was surprised to discover now lives just 40 miles from me, even though the school we attended was 300 miles from here!

Then there are my storytelling friends. After I retired many of these faded away, as our only common ground was the profession we shared. But many others are still good friends, and I enjoy keeping in touch with them.

With Jason, Sue, and Fred, who sadly passed away a couple years ago. What a great man he was, a retired miner who shared some harrowing tales of his experiences in the mines.

Flanked by two Sues, literally--both longtime friends who played roles when I led the Ripley ghost walk here, along with crazy Aaron who played a sheriff,and my best friend, my husband Larry who played dual roles as a stonemason and a preacher.

And here, at the West Virginia Storytelling Festival's last year, with WV Poet Laureate Marc, gifted teller, dancer, writer and singer Ilene, and dear Adam, a prefessor or musicology and storytelling. What a group we made.

At a women's storytelling retreat with New Yorker Robin and Virginian Lynn, both still good friends and utter kooks--also gifted artists.

Oddly (or maybe this is normal?) I have just a few friends from my work years, and we are not really close. I worked 50 miles from home, and as a country person I didn't share much in common with my coworkers except the job. But through Facebook, I have become closer with two that I hardly knew in all those years. Strange how that works.

Writing has brought me many friends too, and I feel privileged to be part of that world. Even if I am not writing much these days, these friends feel very close. Through the writers I became friends with quite a few musicians, too.  

Hi-jinks at the Writers conference, where "the porch" was the place to be after midnight. Pretty sire I was singing Devil and the Farmer's Wife here.

Another conference, another fun evening surrounded by friends. And probably telling Rindercella. 2019, this was.

At the cabin in Pocahotas county with the three friends with whom I partnered for the recent poetry book, and good friend and fine photographer Dave. June 2021.

Antiquing expanded the friend circle even more, as we got to know other sellers. My friend Rachel owned an antique store and I was a regular customer for years. As we get older, our friendship has only grown stronger. Then there is Patricia, and Kim, both sellers, and Danny from whom I buy great stuff...and that list could go on and on. Great people.

A few people we met through our travels have also become good friends. Susan in England, Carmel in Ireland, Gerald in Wales...thank goodness for social media, where we can remain in touch. Maybe one day we will be able to see them all in person once again.

Of course many of my neighbors are longtime friends. Over the years we have lost all of those in the generations above me until now Larry and I are among the oldest people on our road. Most of our neighbor friends are much younger than we are, as we seem to have more in common with them than with those our age.

And then there are all of you out there in blogland! Some of you I have met in person, like Gretel and Tipper and others, and some have been friends for almost all of the 17 years I have been blogging. You feel as close to me as the people around me, and I value you all.

As I get older the circle seems to expand...and then contract as Death claims his own. That is the hardest part of caring about so many people, isn't it? But I would rather this than to not have known them at all. And the circle seems to get larger with every day as we meet and make new friends along our way. I feel blessed to have so many people in my world, all so unique and talented, all making this world a better place. 

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.