Bookends

Old Friends are something very special to me. I think I qualify what it means to be an old friend differently than anyone else I know. You see, to me, and old friend needs only to be someone who you may not see for a long period of time but you settle with instantly. I have a few "Old Friends" who I have only known for the 2 and half years I have lived here. Still, they qualify.

I think this is a wonderful way to measure one's life. I was in a meeting yesterday afternoon with the Seminarian (man training to be a Roman Catholic Priest) assigned to our parish for his Pastoral Year (a year actually doing work and learning what it means to be caring towards your "flock" - a wonderful thing in my mind as I have know priests who were terrible at this. At least now they are trying to fix that). In this meeting he said something that really stuck with me, and inspired (along with other things that day/night) me to write this post.

He was telling me a story of a funeral he was once at where the priest was talking about the deceased as a man of great education and intelligence. The seminarian continued to say he was struck then by what the deceased wife had to say. She looked around the room and asked people to raise their hands of they worked with her husband at Colleges, Universities, Schools. Did they study with him? Not a single hand was raised. She said this: "Frank never did judge people by the letters after their name. He judged them by the love in their heart, the smile on their face, and the look in their eyes. Thank you for being here to support me. Thank you for being Frank's old friends."

How wonderful. What a way to exemplify what should be at the front our lives. We are in a society that tells us that the more money you make, the better. The way to make more money is to get better jobs. The way to get a better job is to get more education. When all this is accomplished, you will be happy.

I have a couple of questions. Firstly, is money everything? If not, then why is it one of the things that is most causing sleepless nights in people? Lastly, is a job not MORE than the money you earn?

My answers: 1- No. 2- Sadly, this is the way society has evolved. 3- My job certainly and I know a great many people (my old friends) who are much more focused un inspiration and living life the best way they can.

That is why they're my bookends.

Thanks for reading. This changed as I wrote it. It went from being a sentimental thing to a rant on things that rankle me at the minute. Incidentally I have a disclaimer: I am not innocent of anything I spoke of above. It just came to me as I wrote. I am not judging people who have done well for themselves or their families. Nor those who didn't have the opportunities I had for not being where they want to be.

Rant. Over.