A Forever Moment

Today these six people and a few others gathered to pay respects and say goodbye.

When I asked if we could all take a photo together no one, not one of us, balked at the thought. We just lined-up, didn't even shuck 'n jive much; just stood quietly for a moment, a forever moment.

The camera is pointed at Dan & Jean on the left, Rosie & Mr. Fun in the center, and Barry & Joanie on the right.

Five of us have known each other for forty-plus years. Mr. Fun and Barry were in the same group of teenage guys who all surfed together.

Jean and I used to ride the same bus to and from school. She was a newbie to our city and so was I.

Dan and Jean and I were all in the same class and should have all graduated together.

Mr. Fun was three years ahead of us in school and Barry was two years.

When I was new to this community, Barry was my first boyfriend. After a couple months, we broke-up. Later that school year, Barry graduated from high school.

Right before Barry graduated, Mr. Fun & I got married. Our first child, a son, was born on my birthday in November.

Barry went to Vietnam.

A couple years later, Barry married Jean.

Barry & Jean's first and only child, a son, was born on her birthday in November.

A few years later, Barry & Jean were occupants of a disintegrating marriage. They divorced.

All these years later they are still friends and have been considerably more successful at building a civil relationship than so many of our friends whose marriages crumbled.

At some point in the early 70s Barry moved to Oregon.

Jean & Dan were married in 1975. The two of them have been best friends as well as partners all these years.

After they married, Dan & Jean moved to Oregon. It seemed like all of the friends we had grown-up with moved to Oregon. Most of them went to the communities of Medford or Rogue River or Grants Pass.

Then 10 years ago Dan & Jean moved to America's deep South to the state of Georgia. They have just recently moved to Palm Springs here in California.

Somewhere in the past 15 years Barry married Joanie, who grew-up in New York. They now live in the most northern city on the coast of California, Crescent City. They own and operate a surf shop.

This morning we all attended the graveside funeral service of Barry's 88 year-old-father. We watched the military men remove the U.S. Flag from the casket, fold it, and hand it to Barry's step-mom. We listened to the 21-gun salute. Then the pastor, the nephew of the deceased, told a few tales about his deceased uncle and spoke words of hope for the living.

Afterward, we all gathered for a meal.

The backyard poolside lunch was delicious, but the shared moments of lifelong friendship was a feast.

The five of us who grew-up together haven't been all together in one place for forty-plus years.

Today was not a class reunion. It was a life reunion.

Good night from Southern California.
Rosie (& Mr. Fun), aka Carol

P.S. On yesterday's page I wrote about our friend Mike Wagner. Today before we exited the graveyard, we stopped at Mike's grave. It is the saddest place in the cemetery.

P.P.S. Thank you for the comments left on yesterday's page . . . your words are meaningful.