Okay, after my last post, I might have left you thinking that I have no friends.  I actually do, though…

A  young lady I met in nursing school, born a week after me in the same hospital (probably the same incubator, we figure), Kathy Jo McClurken Hanson is a pal, good and true.  Kathy and I didn’t just share our time at DSN, but we shared some happy/sad/challenging years afterward.  I don’t think I could have survived my first marriage without her friendship and support.  She disappeared when Melissa was about 3 or 4, but I hunted her down as soon as the Internets would help me.  I found her about 4 years ago in Ames, Iowa.   Her mom still lives over in Carmi, so I’m thrilled to see her whenever she visits the area; we met up for lunch at Olive Garden yesterday.   She and I have always connected on a very spiritual level and we pick up conversations right where we left off.

Kathy and I planned to save the world, but as Lennon said, “Life is what happens when you’re making other plans”.  Besides, we didn’t really know How…yet.  Yesterday as we discussed what we plan for our retirement years, I got very excited about the prospect of  dusting off those old ideals and using our acquired wisdom to realize them.  I think now we might really know How…

I only wish she lived closer, but I hold her close in my heart.