I have been blessed with close friends, sister friends, new friends, seasonal friends and fair-weathered friends. Growing up in my large family my siblings and cousins were my friends, which was just fine with me.  In the 2nd grade, at Mary CI Williams Elementary school, I formed a friendship with Linda, my first non-related friend.  As a child, it was quite a bit for me to process.  This little girl, my age and my size, who I instantly liked just as much as I liked my sisters, was also foreign to me. I was curious about everything about Linda, from her hairstyle, clothing, and speech pattern to where she went and what she did when she wasn’t at school.

As we grew older and ventured about the neighborhood, we got to visit each other’s homes.  My first impression of Linda’s house was that it was huge. From the doorway peering towards the back, it seemed endless to me.  I thought her parents were nice, mother talkative and her dad quiet. But I tell you, I thought she had about 20 brothers and sisters. They seemed to always be moving about, coming into the room or leaving.  My impression was that they were loud, especially her brother Buster.  They all seemed to love to talk and laugh and were happy.  To me, Linda’s house smelled “warm” like there was always a pot of stew on the burner simmering.  I was totally fascinated with Linda’s two older sisters, “ShellAnn” and “Peachie.”  I thought Peachie was especially cool because she was smart and played in the marching band.  Both of them were pretty, shapely, and dressed really sharp. I would stare at them (especially their shoes) whenever they were nearby.

Linda and I have very different personalities.  I’ve always seen Linda as being focused, calm, sensible and stable and me, well….err… I’m her exact opposite.   Despite all the “Girl you have got to be out of your mind!” moments I must have brought her way;  she has always treated me with kindness, never made me feel judged and accepts me as I am. Our friendship has always been organic, with lots of time and space in between.  We have never felt pressured to meet each other’s needs or fulfill expectations as our lives are full and we have other love ones to lean on.

Linda married her military man Marshall, and they moved away for a short period.  I also moved away, spending most of my adult years living in other states.  During those times, we loosely kept in touch.   Now I’m back living in our home town, and we have come full circle.  We have been experiencing great times together, outings and activities, vacationing with hubbies Darrel and Marshall and seeing a friendship develop between our grandchildren Chase and Azariah.   Sixty years later, I am even more grateful for my first non-related friend from the 2nd grade. Whenever I see Linda, hear her voice over the phone, or get a text from her, my heart feels happy and I smile.

Linda and I are like Timex watches, life has given us lickings, but we kept on ticking.  Our friendship has stood the test of time.

Timepiece Thumbnail photo by Mat Brown from Pexels