"Friends are Friends Forever"

Last Thursday, Karen's summer Ready for Life program through the Christian Learning Center and Calvin College had its closing program. As part of it, the kids sang Michael W. Smith's "oldie," "Friends are Friends Forever." Inexplicably, I found myself weeping and, alas, that started Karen off. I think that I hadn't grieved leaving my lifetime friends in Wooster properly--I had just dropped off the last books at the library and driven away. Then, too, my own three-week seminar on "Being Muslim in the U.S." was coming to a close, necessitating saying goodbye to some new friends. And so we joyfully welcomed Annie for an overnight visit. Annie is Wooster's IVCF staff member and she was coming from one of our favorite places, Cedar Campus, where she had spent five weeks staffing a summer training program for students. She made a little detour to stay the night before she returned to Wooster. We've had immediate family stay the night, but Annie is the first of our extended family to do so. We had a great but too short visit. Here is Annie, ready to receive directions to the expressway from Chuck, herself a dear friend and also a representative of all of our forever friends.