Make New Friends, But Keep the Old
September 28, 2008
"…One is silver and the other gold." So go the words of an old song we sang last night with Gordon and Christa and Ted and Emilie, who have been our friends for over forty years. Lingering over dinner at Gordon and Christa's New Hampshire lakefront home on a stormy September night, we talked of politics, the financial crisis, our children, ourselves.
Away from the obligations of our daily lives and full of good food and wine, we suddenly started singing songs of our youth—"Your Hit Parade" songs, show tunes, camp songs. The others' voices were strong enough that I could sing out, off key as usual, and no one minded.
We sang "Mona Lisa, Mona Lisa, men have loved you…" We sang "How Much is that Doggie in the Window?" and "Good Night Irene." We sang "Why Don't You Believe Me?" and our favorites from "Oklahoma" and "My Fair Lady". We sang "White Coral Bells" and other camp songs.
We should celebrate the past and sing with our friends more often. New friends are wonderful, but old friends are gold.