The stages of life determine who your friends are.  We do things, meet people there, and journey through raising kids together, teaching at our churches, going to soccer, football, baseball games.  We do "life" together.

When I moved to Edmond, I left so many friends in Pryor that I had made during my lifetime.  It was the right thing to do for the sake of my daughters who were trying to fill in the gaps when I needed help, but it left a huge hole.  And when you move in your late seventies like I did, everyone you meet already knows each other and you aren't a part of who they were, who they are, who their kids are...and so on. You are nobody.

It's tough.  I immediately memorized the names of everyone in the church department where I went to class and every Sunday morning would greet them by name, ask about their week, and generally act like I owned the place.  They started to think I did.  Asked me to play the piano for the department and assigned me to teach a class.

But I didn't really have a friend until Jeanette adopted me.  It was an unexpected blessing that I didn't expect to find.  She calls me every day at 10:15, stops by the house to check on me.  Calls when she is going to the grocery store to see if I need something, and is generally a light in my life. It is an absolute joy to have a friend who likes my company--I can be a bit much sometimes.  And I love her company as well.  She is now mine.