I was so excited when I received an invitation to the wedding of one of my dearest friends. This wedding was special not only because Helen Morphis was a friend but also because she was 70-years old marrying for the first time. We all thought she was a confirmed old maid school teacher and now at 70 she was planning to change her life and marry, not just any man; she was marrying a preacher.
As soon as the wedding invitations were out, the gossip lines were open providing an opportunity for old friends to communicate again after several years of retirement. Of course, we were happy for her and excited that her wedding would give all of us an opportunity to see each other again and catch up on what was going on in everyone's lives.
The day of the event called for a 150-mile drive to Beaumont for me and a 150-mile return trip to Garrison several hours after dark. The logistics did not matter - come rain or shine, I planned to attend Helen's big event and spend time laughing and visiting with my friends. It would be just like old times!
At least 40 teacher friends were present. These were women with whom I had shared all sorts of experiences. We raised our families together and taught each other's kids. We sat in the teachers' lounge five days a week and talked about our successes, our failures, our dreams, our families and told each other our deepest, darkest secrets. We shared everything there was to share for approximately 30 years.
Well, it really was great to see everyone again. They all seemed to be doing well and most everyone looked about like they did when I last saw them.
After the initial "hello, what have you been doing, have you seen so and so lately and what is she doing now," we found that we really didn't have that much to share for some reason.
Our lives had changed. We didn't spend our time at school anymore so school wasn't the common denominator for our relationship. We were all from different backgrounds, different towns, different colleges, different family structures. Without school we were free to go our separate ways, and there was little left to hold us together.
After about an hour, I was ready to go home. I was ready to go back to Garrison, to my husband Stacy, my friends, my church and my life. What used to be is no more and can never be again. Those 30 years associated with school and teaching are now a part of my past. For all practical purposes the door on those 30 years is closed.
But with the closing of one door there is always an opportunity to open another. I have taken that opportunity and am as busy and involved with my life today as I was before. Yes, things are different. I miss my children who live miles away. I miss my deceased husband Roger who died at age 57. But I don't miss the relationship I had with my friends. I really don't, and I realized why at Helen's wedding when I discovered that those relationships are different now because the common denominator of career is gone.
Now my relationships here in Garrison, Texas are based on a common denominator as broad as all of eternity. As I remember all the way back to 1946 when I was 7 years old, many of the very same Garrison friends I have today attended First Methodist Church with me more than one half century ago.
Our relationship transcends common denominators like school, profession, students and teachers. Our relationship is anchored in the spirit of God's Church as we share our blessings here in Garrison, Texas, where we are bound by the past, the present and the future.
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