FRIENDSHIPS - THOSE SPECIAL PEOPLE.......................

I am sure you all have a lot of friends. Every so often, though, there is that special friendship, that lasts forever, when everything is against being able to prolong that friendship.

I have friends that fall into that category.  They live in Pierpont Ohio.  Months, sometimes years go by without seeing each other, or even keeping in touch except with an occasional card.

I am going to share my story about this couple and their family.

When I was a young teenager my aunt and uncle in Cleveland bought a small piece of ground in rural (very rural, just a dot on the map) Ashtabula County Ohio, where they retired.

Sister Ruth and I would spend much of the summer on their"farm" or farmette, Aunt Pat taking us to the fair, "letting" us help in the garden, and just enjoying life.

Their nearest neighbors had a teen-age boy, one year older than me.  He had a steady girlfriend, one year younger and me.  Dave, Rogene, sister Ruth and I became close friends.  They had horses, we got to go horseback riding - how we loved that.  Ruth and I spent three summers in Pierpont, doing things with Dave and Rogene, and their respective parents.

Dave graduated high school.  The following year I graduated, the next year Rogene graduated.  That August Dave and Rogene got married.  I was working and could not go to the wedding.  However, they were on a tight budget, so spent their "honeymoon" visiting friends and family.  They spent a couple of days with my sisters and me and my Mom and Dad.

Life moved on.  I married.  They and  I started our families.  I had 3, they had 4.  We continued visiting, one year they would come spend a few days with us in West Alexander, the next year we would go to Pierpont.  My kids grew up and married, their kids grew up and married.  But we stayed in touch, mostly with graduation, wedding, and birth announcements. 

Whenever we did have the chance to get together, it seemed the conversation just picked up where it had left off the last time we were together.  There was never that "awkward" moment when getting back together that we didn't know what to say to each other.  We always did, and still do.  Their son Danny and my son Michael, have also stayed in touch, same scenario, visit when possible. 

There were a few years when we were not able to spend time together, circumstances got in the way.  When Tom and I married, we were again able to spend time together, Dave and Tom loved talking farming.

Then Tom passed on.  Dave was diagnosed with cancer.  All back and forth visiting came to a screeching halt.  Dave is currently in remission.

About the time both Rogene and I turned into our early 40's, we both started our own business, unbeknown to each other.  Mine was photography and writing.  Her's was opening a restaurant.

By this time her son Dan had completed college, and owned the only grocery store in town.  He also started buying up abandoned property, and the following picture is of one of the historical buildings in town.  Rogene has turned this building into a small restaurant, catering to the locals, and amazingly enough to tourists passing by.  She has a basic country-type food menu, no prices.  Her restaurant is donation only.  She and her family have done a lot of work on the interior of the building, preserving as much of the original architecture as possible.

You can reserve the restaurant for bible study, graduation parties, business meetings, whatever.  It is a fun place visit.  I always look forward to the meals when I get there, as I know it will be something good.  Home made bread for one.  She has granddaughters that help in the restaurant in their free time, but she is still head honcho, keeping everything running smoothly.

Her business is like mine - there is no way you can make a living, but it is a fun job that brings in the extra income, which helps to make life on a fixed income a little more enjoyable.


Rogene in the entryway from facebook today

As I mentioned, ours has been a long-distance friendship for over 50 years, and will continue until we are gone.  How much richer my life has been, just knowing these folks, being friends, and how we would never have known each other except for the fact my aunt and uncle decided to move to Pierpont.



Rogene (center) with 4 customers when I was there last summer.

These 4 people were just passing by, enjoyed themselves so much that they requested I take a picture of them with the "owner" of such a great place.  I did so with their camera, then also took a picture for me.

Was my aunt and uncle moving to Pierpont just chance, or was it part of a bigger plan?  I like to think it is the second, things don't usually happen by chance, there is a reason.


Rogene and me, together, on my visit last summer.

It just goes to show, when you look back you can see how blessed you have been.  Since Dave has been ill, they are not able to co much in the travel line, so I have been trying to visit once a year.  Hopefully this summer I will make it up there again.  Dan and his wife Linda always make a point of getting together with me.  Also their second son Lee.  Daughter Marilyn lives close, and if they are home, I also get to visit them.

The only daughter, Jeannie, I don't get to see as they live in another state.  And it was daughter Jeannie, that when she married I was her "wedding photographer".  How much fun was that?

As you can see, it is a long-term friendship, all odds against our remaining friends, distance, health, work, but we have managed, and life is so much fuller.

Treasure your family and friends, for you never know when........and God Bless.