 |
The sun smiles as it rises and when it goes to sleep!
Through life, we make friends and lose them, it seems. People move from one town, province, or country to another and before long, we seldom hear from them.
They become busy with life, and so do we.
Life goes on!
Right?
For many people, yes.
For me, no.
Since I was a child, I moved from one town or province to another, not establishing roots anywhere. I left behind more friends than town names and I remember crying for the first time, at nine years of age, as Dad pulled away from the home we had lived in for about a year and a half.
I never did hear from those friends again, and it was a pattern that would repeat itself until I turned fifteen.
By that time, I met Tsitsi Joy Wight, born in Zimbabwe, Africa, and raised in Newfoundland, Canada from the time she was five.
We became fast friends, sharing jokes and laughs-sharing tears, heartaches, and sorrows. She had a few best friends, which never made sense to me, until recently. However, she said what made me different was the fact I was one of her best friends, but I was also her sister- the sister she never had and always wanted.
We would walk down the street together-her being black and me being white, and it's only the people looking at us who noticed. We didn't! We were too close to be concerned about our skin colours.
In fact, we used to have fun with people, sometimes, who didn't know us. We would say we were sisters (we felt we were)-that our mother's name is Doris (which is true, only it's two different people by the name of Doris)- leading people to believe we had the same mother but different fathers!
We loved seeing people's eyes fly open wide in unbelief because neither of us looked half white/half black. Of course, we set them straight before they left our presence.
Tsitsi still is one of my best friends-has been for the past seventeen years, and she will remain my longest earthly friend.
However, since that time, I've had the pleasure of acquiring numerous friends, most of whom I still have today.
Among them you will find Caucasians, Germans, Italians, Indians, Chinese, Inuit, African-Canadians, and I'm sure the list will grow as one year rolls into another.
I have a short message for those whom I call friends, whom I hope never leaves my side-
I expect you to remain in my life forever.
No skipping out on me, okay?
If you're sick, you tell me.
If you're hurting, tell me that, too.
If you need someone to talk to, my ears are open.
If you need prayer, don't be afraid to ask.
But, most of all, don't skip out on me where eternity is concerned.
Eternity is much too long to do without friends you love, treasure, and admire.
At this time, I thought I would share a poem with you which I wrote while thinking about a wonderful friend.
Can either of you guess to whom I am referring?
You're right!
I'm referring to you!
Smiling Sun
I'm glad to have you
as a friend.
I hope our friendship
never ends.
It's interesting,
nice and fun,
Like thinking of
a smiling sun.
What of tomorrow?
What does it hold?
Can't say for sure-
so we'll behold.
Copyright 2005 Norma Budden-Aningat
Please sign my [html] Guestbook [/html]
