Dinner Party With Friends

Last night we had six very good friends over to celebrate the brief visit of a close friend now living in another state. New England is a very informal region and dinner at someone's home is often enhanced by everyone bringing a dish and/or something to drink. I like that alot. It's friendly and thoughtful and it's just the way they do things up here. I say "up here" because I lived "down there" in the South at one time. One couple, who couldn't make it due to illness had been assigned an appetizer. However, an unexpected plate of appetizers showed up in the hand of the featured guest who'd run to Harry & David's for some excellent cheese, hard salami, bruschetta spread and crackers. But, I digress. My purpose in having the dinner party was for us all to be together again, to share and update each other with stories about our children and our geographically diverging lives. If children bring you together when they are young, what keeps you together after they have gone? I like to think it is all the things you learned to enjoy in your togetherness as parents as well as respect and mutal interests. We had a joyous meal and great conversation. There was alot of reminiscing and an equal amount of new stories to tell. The wonderful thing about old friends is the easy way in which they can come together and interact, as though no time has passed. It's seamless...unlike our faces!