May 26, 2019, Phoenix-
With tomorrow being rather a full day of honouring the departed, back in Prescott, I made this afternoon a time to place flowers and spend some time at Penny’s grave site. Although I feel her presence constantly, and don’t crowd her spirit life with constant thoughts of what might have been, it is still the mark of a human being to honour loved ones who have gone on.
I’ve thought further about my latest ruminations on friendship. Each and every one I call friend has at least one particular relevance in my life, and several have more. Whether a person is primarily a friend-in-Faith, has a role in my health regimen (including the person I met yesterday), is an intellectual match or is tied to me through social networks, alone, each is someone who is of value.
I am past the thrashing about, that seemed to take shallow root, in the two years after Penny passed. I am not going to follow third-party hints about pursuing a relationship with someone, when that person herself is not the one dropping those hints. That, to me, is borderline harassment.
Where I am now is finding my way forward, and keeping my ties to each of my friends based on mutual respect and nurturance. Whether I see a friend almost every day, once in a while, once a year, or only contact online-the principle is the same. You have my heart.