Art by my 5 year old…this was hanging in my living room…ready to greet Chris Ann and her family. Even though he hasn’t seen their family in 2 years, somehow, even the youngest, has a sense of the bond between our families and the importance of the friendship.
Chris Ann and her entire family drove for two days to arrive just before my son’s graduation party. There was no way they wouldn’t be here. Our boys met when they were 6 months on a blanket at church.
We realized over this past week, that it was a moment we measure our friendship by.
It’s been 2 years since our entire families have been together, but within seconds the time disappeared.
The first place they all gathered to…was the tree house. Somehow it was important for everyone to be there, huddled together, taking in the moment. (Meanwhile, Chris Ann and I were trying not to freak out that the littles were hovering close to the edge.)
My two oldest teens had a day in the city planned for their suburban friends. Our four teenagers started out their time together by hitting the MTA in Baltimore City for a day of people watching and adventure. They created memories all day long…and Chris Ann and I were so grateful for Instagram because we received pic by pic updates.
Our two middle boys, found the air soft guns, put on their bathing suits and spent the day hunting who-knows-what, in my hood.
Our two littles, took a while to warm up, but before long, imaginary play took over and they were in their own little world.
Chris Ann’s husband went to work with mine, banging out molding in a rehab in the city. Chris Ann and I fell into “prep for the graduation party” mode. After 18 years, words don’t even need to be spoken, everyone just falls into rank doing what needs to be done. It’s all very comfortable and familiar.
Do you have family friends? How do you invest in them?
