Ties That Bind

The Girl Scouts of America have a song about friends:

Make new friends but keep the old,
One is silver and the other gold.

A circle's round, it has no end,
That's how long I want to be your friend.

The song certainly conveys a nice sentiment, and one I’ve subscribed to myself.

Sentiments, however, can be like good intentions…

Over the years I’ve made and lost many friends, and others who were more than just friends. Some endings came too soon, others not soon enough; nevertheless, they are all still losses of one sort or another, all bittersweet in their own way.

I continue to be amazed, however, at the ways in which the ties that bind us together arise—over the years, across the states, through divergent life paths…

Recently I’ve had several encounters that attest to the power of these ties that bind (it’s a small world after all). Bridges burned and rebuilt—some temporarily, others less so, but not necessarily any less tenuous.

The way forward may be paved by our past, but I wonder, when does the feeling of being haunted end, or if it ever does?