May 13, 2014. Artemas, Pa. Friendship.

Joseph Epstein wrote a book called Friendship. He is an excellent writer and I enjoy his writing but when I read his book about friends, it seemed that if he was not a writer with a long list of e mail friends, he would not have had many friends. He talks about friends coming and going and disappearing. His friendships seemed shallow and immediate. Since Andrew died, our friends and families have rallied around us all, wrapping us in their arms from near and far. They have distracted us and fed us, comforted us and wept with us. They have been true friends. Today three more friends came to the farm to visit us. They brought laughter and plenty of food and they left us with hearts lighter than they arrived. Really good friends pick up just as they left off and although I had not seen these friends for several years, we eight chattered away as if we had seen them yesterday. They are good friends. Our work crew at the farm is impressive. Rita and Wendy are quite a team. All the pictures are off the walls and the good china and crystal is out ready for the packers. The books are being sorted and all the sheets are tied up and labelled. Ian and Ken are sorting electronics. I think we are ahead of schedule. Tomorrow, we will drive two vehicles to the recycle center in Clearville and to the Goodwill donation center in Everett. We must use two vehicles because we have too much stuff for the truck. In heaven, our work crew will get another gold star in their crowns. Once again I say,"Thank you God for family and friends."