Over this past weekend, my wife and I opened our house to a college buddy and his wife whom I have known for over fifty years. They flew into town for the celebration of another couple we know who were marking fifty years of marriage.

Reunions can be happy and a bit sad as well. It is a big feeling inside to witness two individuals who have stayed together, whose bodies have gotten older but their love has not. The looks they give each other show their respect, empathy, humility, acceptance and boundless love.  Despite the savagery of Diabetes and all its’ related issues, they have not given up on life or each other. Love is a powerful medicine for the body as well as the soul.

Before and after the celebration my wife and I spent time with our house guests.  We visited the local zoo, drove around old neighborhoods, recalled the way things used to be. In this special time, we dusted off the memories and felt connected again to our town and to each other. Even though we had different opinions on “important” things back then, none of that mattered anymore. The friendship now was what counted, even more than the aches and pains which of course we all have.

The biggest surprise was how I felt during this time. I might have felt a bit nervous having house guests (worrying about whether they were comfortable and what this does to my routine).  This time I did not feel any of that. Having them here, talking for hours at the dining room table, putting on shoes and jackets in the same dark entry space, trying to talk rationally at 4:30 in the morning as I drove them to their flight this morning, were pure delights. My joy is like a flooding river because this past weekend I was with with my friends of over half a century.