On the way home today I toured our old neighborhood and drove by our old property before stopping in to visit a close friend – actually, an adopted almost-family member who rented our big barn and expansive pasture for 30 years. When we moved to our old farmhouse with 25 acres in 1980, he was a similarly-aged bachelor farmer just down the road who became a surrogate brother for us and surrogate uncle for our kids – one who shared every Christmas morning, every school program, and many other “family” events. He was our annual Easter Bunny. Our encourager, helper, and companion. But more than all of that, he was simply one of us.
It was good to see him and catch up. We stood in his garage, leaned against his pick-up truck, and exchanged news. The years have rolled by, and we’ve been gone from his everyday life for 18 months. But not much has changed between us. We still are bonded by virtue of having shared so much life, and know the reality of deep caring and commitment. How fortunate we are to have such a very good friend.
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