Gold Friends

Have you ever moved from one city to another that was more than a three-hour drive away from where you were? After a blessed childhood in one of the country's most beautiful areas, namely Newport Beach, California, I moved to the U.S. Virgin Islands when I was 25. My first husband and I lived there for two years on a 46' sailboat, then moved to Honolulu where we stayed for 10 more years. During those 12 years living on islands, I lost touch with many of my old friends in Newport, people I knew from high school and my college years at UC Irvine. There were five "girls" who stayed in communication with me from time to time, and when I returned to live in Newport Beach after 12 years, they became my "safety net" of girlfriends. It was as if no time had passed.

When I moved to Denver in 1993, I cried buckets of tears leaving the Newport Beach city limits. I didn't want to leave my friends and family, but I had to follow my husband. He insisted on experimenting with a life in the mountains instead of at the ocean. Of course, I learned to love everything about Colorado and I still have dear friends there who saw me through my grief over Bruce's death and my courtship and marriage to Gary.

Gary and I moved to California in 2003 and anyone reading this probably knows about that. What you may not know is that those original five friends - Dru, Kathy J, Marianne, Terry and Laurie - are still my best friends, my "gold friends." When I came home once again to Southern California, it was as if I'd been here with them all along.

A couple of years ago, it was Marianne's turn to move from Newport Beach for the first time in her life. Fortunately, Marianne (pictured here with me) and her husband, Brian, still live on this coast in a beautiful area of Northern CA. She's a frequent visitor to the OC. When she's in town, she often rings my doorbell early in hopes of catching me for a cup of coffee. If we're not home, she sits on our front porch and reads the morning paper. I'm so happy she's still close that way. Marianne is one of the people in my life who sets a fine example of true friendship. During the past few crazy weeks, she has called and left quickie, uplifting messages of love and support for both me and Gary. Like the others in my "gold circle," she is invaluable, and I want the world to know how thankful I am.