There is one good paragraph in the book, Why Epossumondas Has No Hair on His Tail. Just one. It is this:
Skunk and Epossumondas were waving friends, not play-together friends. So they waved, and Skunk pranced on by, swishing her thick black-and-white tail.
I like these words because I have many waving friends here. They glide by in their cars and wave. They wave from their pews at church. They wave from their porches. I have not yet discovered a good play-together friend in this small town.
I've been getting tired of the waving. I opened an invitation in my inbox recently to visit with play-together friends. I packed my bag and headed east for a blitz visit.
There were hugs when I walked in the door. Hugs hello to friends and hugs goodbye to family. There was joy at seeing familiar faces and a longing for those who could not escape family responsibilites to knit their hearts and stories together with ours.
The hours we had to visit were few. We wasted no time with small talk. Each of us put aside the mask reserved for aquaintances and showed our real self. The four of us live small lives and dream big dreams. It takes trust to share dreams and hurts and shortcomings.
We sipped coffee and Diet Coke from mugs. We ate tortilla soup and pigs in a blanket. We talked until we were bleary eyed and wobbly. To bed after two and up before eight. There was more visiting to do so we didn't bother with getting out of our pajamas...or switching glasses for contacts...or brushing our hair. We poured more coffee. Lots of coffee. We picked up where we had had left off a few hours before. We poured out encouragement and funny stories. We shared what God is teaching us for we are all learning.
Too soon, it was time to return to our everyday lives and our families. I was not sad though. Just thankful for a little bit of time with play-together friends (though we did not play) before I went back to the waving ones.
Skunk and Epossumondas were waving friends, not play-together friends. So they waved, and Skunk pranced on by, swishing her thick black-and-white tail.
I like these words because I have many waving friends here. They glide by in their cars and wave. They wave from their pews at church. They wave from their porches. I have not yet discovered a good play-together friend in this small town.
I've been getting tired of the waving. I opened an invitation in my inbox recently to visit with play-together friends. I packed my bag and headed east for a blitz visit.
There were hugs when I walked in the door. Hugs hello to friends and hugs goodbye to family. There was joy at seeing familiar faces and a longing for those who could not escape family responsibilites to knit their hearts and stories together with ours.
The hours we had to visit were few. We wasted no time with small talk. Each of us put aside the mask reserved for aquaintances and showed our real self. The four of us live small lives and dream big dreams. It takes trust to share dreams and hurts and shortcomings.
We sipped coffee and Diet Coke from mugs. We ate tortilla soup and pigs in a blanket. We talked until we were bleary eyed and wobbly. To bed after two and up before eight. There was more visiting to do so we didn't bother with getting out of our pajamas...or switching glasses for contacts...or brushing our hair. We poured more coffee. Lots of coffee. We picked up where we had had left off a few hours before. We poured out encouragement and funny stories. We shared what God is teaching us for we are all learning.
Too soon, it was time to return to our everyday lives and our families. I was not sad though. Just thankful for a little bit of time with play-together friends (though we did not play) before I went back to the waving ones.
Comments
I also have waving friends, but no play-together friends, here in Seattle. We wave to each other through e-mail, too.
This kind of friendship just isn't even remotely as satisfiying as a play-together friendship.
How long have you lived in your new area? I've lived here for six years! I need to make some play-together friends, but it's hard for me, for some reason.
Anyway, thanks for sharing your thoughts about this subject!!
:)
Missing you!
Amy