Recently we've had some great times with old friends who were once like family and who frankly, still are.
Nine years ago, two families who were very close to us moved away at about the same time. We were so sad, but everyone's lives move on and take their own course.
A couple weeks ago, one of those families moved back to our community. We are ecstatic! This is a family whose children spent so much time here, they felt like our own. And it's their place where my kids spent so much time, it was like their second home. It's the home where Blake learned what a clothes iron is. It's the home where I knew my children were safe after school when I was working. We moms worked opposite days of the week and our girls were the best of friends so it just made sense to swap daycare duties. It was a great arrangement for many years.
The other family moved even further away. Our eldest sons were best friends. A year after they left, Derek went to South Carolina in the summer and spent 3 weeks with them. He caught his first fish there, a flounder.
This fall, they returned for a visit. They were settling their youngest in at SFU so this gave us a great opportunity to spend time together. We wined and dined, fished and kayaked, and even went to an Eagles concert. We had a great time catching up. Alan took Derek fishing again and this time Derek caught his first salmon. Likely his first of many as it seems he's caught the fishing bug.
Both of these families were like us when it came to the big holidays of the year. They too, had no extended family living near to them. So they were the "go to" families to spend Easter, Thanksgiving or Christmas with when no one had family coming to visit. They were great times with great people and I have such fond memories of our times together.
I am so grateful to have had over a week to spend time and reacquaint with the Donald family from South Carolina and I look forward to going down to visit them someday, hopefully soon. I also look forward to times ahead with the Newman family right here in Deep Cove now that they are no longer that long drive to Abbotsford away.
Friends are only friends until they feel like family........and then, after that, they are "special friends".
So thankful to have these special friends who feel like family.
