New friends in the same club

In Ecclesiastes we are told there is nothing new under the sun, but yesterday, I made some new friends in the sun, at the pool. Yes, I know what the Scriptures meant and it came true with my new friends. 

Friday I hit it off nicely with Mark and Jackie, with whom Lee had been visiting before I came out. On Friday evening  Linda J. and I were "chatting" on FB about taking a cruise in November, post-election. Only in the pondering phase right now. Well, yesterday, my new friends mentioned going on a cruise in November so I asked if it was the National Review cruise. Mark said it was not, but the NR one sounded good, too. Aha, a man after my own heart!

His opinion was that these conservative columnists and authors would not be the most exciting party people to cruise with but I said that if Linda and I were there, they would be! This would be true if they were early morning people, like we are! We can tear it up before 10:00 a.m. and then nap time for us...Yes, it was a valid point Mark made, but the reason for going would be for "reason", not necessarily partying!

As our little pool session was drawing to a close (for them!), Mark said he has be home in time to watch "The Five". Lee gestured my direction with her thumb, indicating the same is true for me. I had less a commute, though, to get home. These folks were going to work out just fine!

Today, when I got to the pool, Mark and Jackie were already there, having just taken delivery of their meals. I got into the pool instead of ordering lunch because of eating a later breakfast of sausage with toast. Lee was not to be seen all day. 

Before getting in, though, I stopped at the table where Gigi was seated and got some information from her. The 'young' man who used to live in the apartments near the pool was hospitalized and I needed his location. Zach was a hairdresser, and would compliment me on my summer hair, the highlights God adds with the sun. "Girl, you have the best hair!", he would gush. 

Gigi told me last weekend that he was very ill, was in Hospice care, not long for this world. Tracy, my downstairs neighbor, had gotten to know Zach as the caring neighbor who had checked in on MamMa when she yet lived in her apartment, so I let her know his situation. But, I had no name or real location for his Hospice but got that from Gigi and texted it to Tracy. I hope she finds him before it's too late.

As Mark, Jackie, and I visited in the pool, I was telling about Justin learning to drive, what a nightmare it was until I got him into Driver's Ed. After all my cautions to the teacher, he still took Justin on the freeway on the first time out!! They asked how come he was so old before learning to drive and I explained that he knew he was not invincible due to the death of his brother. Mark and Jackie reported that they also had lost a son, at age 23, only seven years ago. He was killed in a single vehicle motorcycle accident. As we talked, Mark said what I have often said to other parents: "We belong to a club we had no intention of joining."

I just knew I was going to like these folks and now we have that in common as well. Jackie told about how wonderful it was to have his viewing and service (Roman Catholic), how helpful it was. She journaled for the first year after her son died which really helped her to cope. I asked if she would ever put it into book form and she told me she tore it up some time ago, so her daughter wouldn't see it. Jackie might regret that but at the time, she felt it was right.

Jackie also mentioned how people who don't have funerals really miss an important part of the healing. If she wouldn't have been so sun burned, I would have hugged her! They reported how much they learned about their son from his friends, how he was the glue of this group of young folks and how much he meant to them. 

One young woman expressed concern that Ryan's parents would blame her for his death, as he was on the way to see her when he died. Of course, they didn't blame anyone for it, but that is a game 'we' play, that Satan plays with us. As believers, they know the 'reason for the hope that we have...' and I love it that they shared their story with me, on only the second day of our hopefully long friendship!