Chinese Proverb: An old friend met in a far country is like rain after drought...Till the next rain. Old friends, far countries, the natural flow of life and times; all give me pause to be grateful for this life of mine and all of the wonderful people in it. My tears fell when I got to the-'till the next rain' part. I received this proverb a moment ago in an e-mail from a friend of mine in New Orleans. We've stayed close even though there are 5000 miles and an ocean between us. We still speak about the storm and the range of losses each of us experienced. You usually hear about the bricks and mortar loss, but rarely of the losses to the personal/emotional support infrastructure of the lives touched. Everyone was touched. Barbara and I frequently speak of the loss of friendships as they were. Many of us moved away. Friendships of as much as 30 years or more, changed overnight. I've tried to fight the change. No matter how hard I try, my friendships can't be the same. And so in the last year or so, I've been able to accept the fact that I live in France. ...Till the next Rain.
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