There are so many things that I miss from days gone by. Time goes on, life changes, and things that we once held dear are no more--sometimes gone forever and missed and sometimes gone and never thought about again.

My Granny (who is someone that I miss everyday) used to say that nothing lasts forever--not good times or bad times. She was so right. NOTHING lasts forever. Some of the things that didn't last for me and I find myself longing for are:

• frozen custard from the Polar Bear Frozen Custard place that used to be in DC
• old friends that I lost touch with, like Brenda Graham, Michelle Pryor, and Katrina Williams (and my cousin, Rachel Rascoe)
• the carefree days of my youth, when I had no idea that we weren't rich
• the loud, boisterous family gatherings we had all the time
• my late Aunt Kitty's rum cake
• great music with G-rated lyrics
• paperdolls

What do you long for? What do you miss? Can you get it back or is it gone forever?

Your comments--priceless!!

A few weeks ago, I got an email from FOJ Alice, asking if I was available to go to lunch with her and some of her friends. I agreed, but when I asked about her friends, she was very vague. "Oh, just a group of girls." I found it odd, since she's usually very straight forward but in the midst of everything that I have going on, I didn't have a lot of time to give it thought.

Well, last Friday was the date of the luncheon. And last Thursday, it rained cats and dogs. A lot of areas had severe flooding. It was still raining when I got up. I so did NOT want to go to a luncheon. I called Alice, hoping that it was cancelled. "Nope, I called the Country Club and they aren't flooded, so we'll be there!" she said. Woe is me.

I got dressed and swam down to Miami. I knew where the Club was, but I had never been inside. The place has a huge foyer with stairs on both sides. I didn't see any place for eating, and there was no directional signage. Everyone else that came in seemed to know where they were going. I pulled out my Crackberry to call Alice. Bad idea. Just as the phone started ringing, a woman rushed out of nowhere, looking very disturbed. "We don't allow cell phone usage," she whispered loudly. I tried to explain that I was meeting someone and didn't know where I was supposed to go. I don't think she cared. She shooed me up the stairs. FINE--I'll find it myself.

Upstairs there was a bar area, but nobody dining, only employees. My phone started to ring. It was Alice, but just as I was about to answer, the bartender reminded me of the NO CELL policy. But she also didn't know Alice or where I was supposed to meet her. She told me to look around. I could see the entire room from where I stood and unless Alice was invisible, she wasn't there. I saw the Ladies Room and decided to go in there and call Alice. Bad idea. No cell phone service in the bathroom. Hmmph. FINE--if you want the riff raff to wander around unattended, then I will!!

I'll continue this story tomorrow, but in the meantime, have you ever encountered this? I know some places where there are NO CELL signs, but never have I been any place where it was so strictly enforced. Have you? Is this odd?

Your comments--priceless!!

Once again, I must give props to Facebook. Last night, I reconnected with longtime FOJ Robin. We had been friends since childhood, but lost contact about 15 years ago. Within minutes of reconnecting, we were on the phone. It was just like old times--giggling, intimating details of our new lives, and reminiscing about old times.

It was a blast. I was giddy when I hung up. She's in Tennessee now, and we made plans to get together this fall. I was amazed by the pictures of her family. Her daughters were little girls the last time I saw them. Now they are gorgeous young adults.

Robin's doing well, but I always knew she would. She's always been very focused, driven, and family oriented. I was not surprised that her parents had folowed her to Tennessee shortly after she settled there. I'm so happy!

To reconnect with such a good friend is an awesome feeling. We live in a world now of foolishness and fakery (Yes, I just made that word up.) True friendship is often elusive. I am so grateful to have been blessed, at every junction in my life, with good friends. Who could have predicted that 2 gawky junior high (middle school to you youngsters!) buddies, would still be friends all these years later??

Have you done well in the friend department? Do you have true friends? The kind that you could sit up all night talking to? What do they mean to you? Have you told them lately?

Your comments--priceless!!

I've never met a stranger. Chatting and small talk come quite easily to me. I'm comfortable in most social situations. Because of this, I meet a lot of people. I probably meet more people during the course of a day than most meet in a week.

Are these people "friends?" Uhhhh, absolutely not! They are folks that I met. When do they become friends? Is it automatic upon meeting the second time? If we've shared a meal or a taxi? Does that make you my "friend?" Because you know some other people that i know (and they aren't friends either)? Because I run into you regularly? Because I "friended" you on Facebook? Because I've known you for years? Because we share a common enemy?

I take FOJ very seriously. You are either FOJ or you're not-there's no middle ground. Rarely do I have new friends, though I do have new acquaintances. Friendship is formed over time. There's a respect that comes with true friendship. There's the desire to want what's best for the other person. There's affection. There may even be some rifts, but when you hit a rift with a true friend, mutual integrity is still intact. There's an old saying that friends walk in when everyone else walks out.

Recently, I saw the devastating fallout of a woman discovering that someone she considered a friend really was not. The other person never considered her a friend, but merely an associate. So when she got clowned, there were severely hurt feelings.

BE VERY CAREFUL who you give the "friend" badge to. Don't throw out the term so loosely. Be mindful of who you let into your inner circle. True friends bring value to your life--if the person isn't bringing anything valuable to you, they probably are not a friend.

Your comments--priceless!