There is a sadness associated with old friends. They are wonderful to have, and I wouldn’t trade the memories, but where those friends were once constant companions, helping to make the history I hold so dear, they now have lives of their own. Some are seen more regularly, but usually only on special occasions. Families rightfully take our attention, and those carefree school days are gone. So many memories. So many things we shared. We didn’t intend to abandon one another, but dealing with life has a way of taking friends to other points on the map. We desire to correspond, but with so many other things competing for attention we may drift apart for years on end. Eventually a meeting comes, and when it does, it is as though no time had passed at all. The faces change. They look older, and sometimes wider. The bodies are no exception. But even as the shell is transformed, the personality is unchanged. We still recognize those beautiful people that carved niches in our hearts. Old friends. Eternal friends. How we long to spend time together. We plan. We exchange addresses and phone numbers. In the end, obligations turn the pages of time. Years pass before we meet again, but the reunions are always sweet when we get together.