"Good morning, my friend!"

What a pleasant surprise this morning. I awakened, put the dog out and the phone rang. I was happy to hear the light and friendly voice of my friend, Miss Melanie. Always an early riser, she informed me that she was already on her way to memory lane, pa to take two classes today. Her husband was on his way to play volleyball. I had written her an email on the fly and she has been so busy she hadn't had a chance to write back so she thought she would call. I was so glad that she did! It was a great way to start the day!

The picture above is like several we have in our possession. Mel and I planned a day trip together to New York City every year. Our sole purpose was to go and see the tree in Rockefeller Center. More recently we've started to visit Macy's, Lord and Taylor and this year we even made it as far as Barney's. I lived in Pennsylvania for 10 years and all but 2 or 3 of them I lived with my friend, Melanie. Life is funny. I was transferred up to the EB headquarters in 1996. An aquaintance of mine from the Va Beach area had a three bedroom townhouse rented with a girl named Melanie. They were looking for a third roommate and I was in need of a room. Jean said we'd meet up and see if we got along and then decide from there if it would be a good match. A year and a half to two years later Melanie and I were moving out of the townhouse away from Jean and into an old farmhouse we had rented. It's funny how life can be sometimes. You never know who your friends will be until you look up a couple of years later and realize they started out as a stranger and ended up as part of your family.

These are the people you want to remember in your life. Snap some pictures and write things down. People like Melanie leave impressions in your heart for all the days to come. Make sure you cherish those impressions and keep those people close.