'I'm glad to meet you'

When I was a child I had two close circles of friends. One group was the friends I had here in Vernon County that I looked forward to being with every summer. Some of those people are still my friends and unfortunately some of those special friends are no longer living. I had another group of friends who lived in Washington, D.C. where we lived during the school year.

Since I have not lived in the east for many years I have lost contact with many of this group. But some of the friends from each place became so special that they got acquainted with each other and the relationship was even better.

College friends, especially those who shared living arrangements together formed another group for me. One of my Washington friends joined that group also as she came to the University of Missouri with my sister and me. We are fortunate to be able to get together with several of these friends once in awhile.

After Lester and I married we began forming groups of friends in each place that we lived and with professional associates from each of our careers.

These also crossed over geographic and time lines so often that we sometimes have trouble remembering just where we did first meet.

Since all of our moves were in the state of Missouri and many of these friends have also stayed in this state, we can maintain these friendships much easier.

Now that I am leading classes in Elderhostels about once a month, I meet a new group of potential friends in each group. These people are usually not from Missouri although some of them are. After spending a week together in class and recreational activities they truly do become friends and some close ties are established. This is especially true with the other leaders who return many times on the same weeks that I am there.

All of this makes me marvel at the riches we have in our lives from knowing and sharing with so many people. Each person that I meet has left me with an idea, a piece of knowledge, a joke, or a smile that warmed my heart to carry with me when we part. I am richer, smarter, happier and hopefully more pleasant because of each of these.

Now, you realize I don't always remember the names of all these wonderful folk. In fact when all of these names of friends are added to all the names of our extended family it boggles my mind to even comprehend the numbers, much less the actual names. But that doesn't diminish the value I put on the relationships. It just shows how limited my memory for names is these days.

One of the most exciting things I have learned through all of these people is that there is always some connection between us. With many of my newer Elderhostel friends it is our shared tie with Nevada through Cottey College.

When I was in college and mentioned I was from Nevada people often laughed at the fact that I had "escaped" from State Hospital No. 3.

Now new friends often immediately mention Cottey College in conversations.

It also happens often that someone knows someone else that I know, has lived in the town or on the street where we once lived, or shared the same or similar profession. Conversations create instant friends when you share some information about your lives.

It is a small world after all, and I am grateful that I have been able to meet so many of the wonderful residents of this world.