Childhood Friends.

Theresa and Carol were school friends all the way from grade one to Senior Matriculation. Their lives were interwoven as the village they lived in was made up of some few hundred people. One school met the needs of all students from grade one to grade 12. They were in the same class, went to the same church and had many of the same friends.

After high school they studied for three years to obtain their RN at the same hospital in Moncton and their friendship continued. After nursing school their paths went in different directions but their friendship remained. Meeting at various times for reunions and visits to their home area in New Brunswick enabled them to catch up on the important gossip and up to date information about mutual friends.

Theresa went across Canada to live on the West Coast for many years and Carol settled in Oklahoma. Again they kept in touch by letter and phone and later by email. They always had things to talk about and time spent together brings a level of joy only friends experience.

A few years ago there was a hundred year anniversary for their old school and I was present to observe the bond established among this group of friends from their class. It was evident that Theresa and Carol had kept their friendship alive and I was introduced to the many people that came together to celebrate a school that bonded so many.

This year Carol is visiting us here in Ontario and I try to stay out of the way as the two friends share special time. They will store up enough memories to last until the next meeting. Having long time friends is a gift many do not have and it is unfortunate as friendship is priceless. I would judge Theresa and Carol to be true Childhood Friends.

Earth Day

Earth Day has been celebrated for about forty years and the results are significant. The fact that there is a designated day when we center our mind on planet earth has created interest in making our area a better place in which to live. Young people are impacted to most and are dedicated to making a difference.

We as youngsters celebrated Arbour Day and we planted trees and cleaned up around our school or nearby parks. In a way this was the beginning of awareness day or Earth Day. Stories depict our earth as a sick place which needs fixing. There is still time and will to make the changes necessary.

We live across from a single dad with a ten year old daughter. They relate well and are together much of the time and I hear conversations from time to time. Last week as she arrived home from school she confronted her father and asked what they were going to do for Earth Day.

He asked her what she wanted to do and she said, "something together to make the earth a better place". He seemed interested but said he was very busy and he would take care of it on the weekend. This satisfied his daughter for the time. Come Saturday morning I could hear the loud voice of the little one saying, "you promised me " and I knew he was trying to bypass the promise.

Almost to the point of being rude she pushed the point and they left to buy a tree to be planted in the backyard. Two hours later the tree was planted and the yard cleaned up. I overheard her saying to her dad, "thank you, and we will do this again next year". It was the school awareness program which made that event happen in yards all over Cape Coral.

The youth of the country will lead us through the future and make this earth more healthy for the next generation.