Friends series #2

Yesterday I wrote about a childhood friendship that influenced the way I believe in nurturing and valuing friends today. I mentioned having an old photo circa 1950's of my friend Drago and myself sitting in our winter snow outfits on some boulders in Ohio. This is the picture on the left and was taken at the end of the drive to my family home. On the right is a rather recent --say last ten years or so of Drago from FB. We yet to actually connect in person since our college days, but hopefully we will one day!

When we began kindergarten together back in about 1954 we were in the same class. We walked through the woods by where we lived, then down a path that had been for cows at one time....walked down to the main street and crossed over to the road that led to school. I remember how innocent we were....and what a shock it was to me when other kids at school made fun of Drago's name. It was cruel as little kids can be sometimes. I was so used to his name that it never occurred to me before that it was not a common name in this country. No one at church where we went had made fun of his name...but then he'd gone there for several years already and kids there were also used to his name. All the making fun of him was an early lesson in discrimination that left it's mark on us both....one I've never forgotten and it probably had a positive outcome in my developing sense of fairness and justice as well in how we treat each other.

I won't go on and on today....have a wonderful weekend :) Thank you for the lovely comments on yesterday's tale of friendship.