If I knew then: Old friends are gold
November 4, 2009 by Colleen Conant
Filed under If I Knew Then, Perspective
My childhood friend Nancy loved to do needle work. Her hands were never idle. Years ago, she gave me a sampler she had cross-stitched. It says “New friends are silver; old friends are gold.”
I thought of that sentiment a while back during a particularly warm and festive dinner party at our house. It was one of those last-minute, thrown-together events, where everyone just happened to be free for an evening of good food and laughter.
As we sat around the fire pit listening to music and sharing stories, I was filled with a sense of profound thanksgiving for the people who enrich our lives.
My family has been blessed with the gift of good friends, new and old. They have shown up for family milestones and celebrations, pitched in for house repairs and dog-sitting, cooked Thanksgiving dinner when I couldn’t and were my strong source of comfort during times of sadness and loss.
For our part, I hope these dear ones can say the same about us: that we have been there when we were needed, and demonstrated our friendship with enthusiasm and love.
One of my oldest friends truly lives the sentiment expressed in Nancy’s sampler. I think of him as a “collector” of friends, old and new. In his professional life he has traveled widely and at every stop along the way he formed lasting relationships with the people he met. Today, he can hardly pass through an airport without running into one of his friends.
His experiences got me thinking about the nature of friendship and how it first sparks and then grows. One of my dearest friends tells me she was determined not to like me before she met me. She had been told by mutual acquaintances that we were sure to hit it off, which gave her an immediate negative vibe. But, sure enough, we connected right away. We shared a passion for running and writing and our families. While our friendship was built on those three pillars, it has grown far more complex and expansive.
That’s how new friends become old friends.
What better time than this season of Thanksgiving to celebrate the special gift of friendship. Why not pick up the phone, or drop a line, or email or text the friends who enrich your lives.
To all our friends new and old — you know who you are — bless you and thank you.
– By Colleen Conant
Conant, the former editor of the Camera in Boulder, retired after a 35-year career in newspaper journalism. She’s currently on the staff of the Community Foundation Serving Boulder County.
