Tell the Story Before It's Forgotten

Every old friendship is really a collection of stories.

The fishing trip where nobody caught a fish.

The vacation where everyone got lost.

The birthday party nobody expected to survive.

Those stories become treasures after someone is gone.

If we don't tell them, they disappear.

Write down one favourite memory of a lifelong friend. Better yet, share it with someone else who knew them. Stories keep people alive in our hearts and help future generations understand where they came from.

Good bye John

I felt a wave of sadness wash over me when I heard Lynn's words. I had been so distracted, watching my adopted grandsons play hockey, that I had not paid attention when she mentioned she knew the sister of my best man. John and I had gone to university together and had been friends since then, but we had lost touch over the years as life sped up. I had even tried to reconnect with him about a year ago when I found some online articles about his work in the local politics of a small community on Vancouver Island, but I never got around to it.

John had always been a positive person, with an infectious personality, who could always find the good in people and any situation. We even enjoyed a few drinks together in moderation. But now, Lynn had told me he was gone, four years ago due to complications from Diabetes, and I felt like I had been punched in the gut. He was only three years younger than me and I never expected him to be taken so soon.

I knew I could never reconcile with him and apologize for not seeing him again, once we lost touch, for not getting to be at his celebration of life. All I could do was have a drink for him tonight and remember our old friendship. It was a reminder to reach out to all those old friends we have lost touch with because it is never too late - unless it is.