The person in question is my friend Cindy, whom I met during my first semester in college. We've stayed in touch ever since. Although we've never lived close to each other after going our separate ways back in 1989, lots of phonecalls and letters and emails have kept us close.
And although my visits out to Idaho to see Cindy and her family have been pretty seldom (I think I've been out there twice?), I'm very lucky that she comes back to Minnesota from time to time to visit her family.
So, today, I met up with Cindy and her two kids in Stillwater (where Christopher is from), and we enjoyed some time talking while the kids played at the Teddy Bear Park. From there, we wandered down to Main Street, where we picked up lunch and picnicked on the grass near the St. Croix River. Much to the joy of Cindy's 3-year-old son, we even got to watch the lift bridge (there's a picture of it on the Stillwater site) get raised to allow for passage of one of the paddle wheel cruises to go through.
Walking back along the street, we did a little shopping before taking the kids back to the park to play (and get worn out) before Cindy packed up for another 90-minute-or-so drive.
The entire time we were together, we talked. From the time we met up, to the time they drove away. We talked about family. We talked about work. We talked about the weather. We talked about... well... everything.
And, unlike the granite teddy bears in the center of the park, I never plan to take this relationship for granted.
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