Old Friends

What joy last night as we gathered around the table - there were eight of us - for a splendid dinner of macaroni salad (thanks, Jo!), sloppy joes, cole slaw, olives and cheese.  Lauren, of course, wouldn't eat any of that and made herself a bacon sandwich.  Silly child!  Donald, whom Cindi and I have been friends with since we were youngsters in 7th grade, joined us together with his Aunt Vera (who is, I think, the only Lutheran in his family).  We had lots of laughter and joyful memories.  It was good to see him again and do a bit of catch up.  He looks ever more Irish as the years pass, and his Boston accent is as thick as it was when we first conversed that day in gym class at Belt Junior High when his family moved to Wheaton.  I noticed he wore a cross.  I asked if he were Catholic.  He answered:  "Yeah.  Why?" and the rest was history!  Oh, and though Cindi and I knew each other from school, I still remember the day Donald came biking by and insisted I had to ride over with him to meet Cindi's mom who was just the coolest mom in the world - "Mama Jo" - and so Donald is the one who first introduced me to my future mother-in-law!