Summers with Philia {Friendship}

As I sit in this terminal and ponder, my mind drifts over the last three summers; and I am struck with the blessings of friends.

I recall a square in Montreal, a man with a cello.. then I’m carried to the top of a ferris wheel, looking out over the St. Lawrence River and the city. 

 Then into a cathedral.. a librairie, and (bien sûr !) singing chants gospel in a metro passageway.

14 months pass..

A train ride up the east coast; thru the night.

 Up, up, I am carried to the mountains of Appalachia, a thousand stone steps.. and the “hall of the mountain snakes” (not official) [the actual name involves royalty]. Hikes marked by Appalachian splendor.

Leaves change, fall, and new ones grow. One year fades into the next..

This summer, thus far, has been full of adventure, meeting with old and new friends, changes- the ebb and flow of life. Once again I embark, watching the many people flowing through an airport. I have the time to reflect.

But most of all, what the heart (as all hearts do) remembers the most is this: the joy of, as C.S. Lewis would say, Philia, friendship.