A Tale of Two Friends.

I’d recently had a falling out with a friend.

The energy of the moment was still so fresh within my heart, a palpable heaviness weighted me down. More so, there was a sense of ‘unresolved’ – another burden to an already difficult circumstance. I was restless under the emotions of ‘needing to fix’ – and, yet?

I couldn’t seem to get there from here.

It reminded me of a story told by my old friend, Gus – a political prisoner ‘interned’ during WWII.

He was born to a well respected Jewish family; his father – a highly decorated German soldier. Gus had been awarded a scholarship to Oxford University, and with that came a single boat passage to freedom.

Instead of taking the pass for himself, he instead shared it with another – “My best friend,” he smiled. “He wouldn’t have done as well.” His friend had been ailing, and dear Gus ‘saw the writing on the wall’ – he saw what the others failed to see.

And then one night, ‘the soldiers came’ – “they broke my nose, but not my heart” he gleamed. His entire family was sent to a German work camp, where they were immediately separated and stripped of all their belongings.

His voice broke as he described the months of torture and the loss of his sister. “She was too young to be of value,” his eyes grew distant as they filled with tears.

But for the grace of one German soldier who would recognized his father, the rest of his family would’ve surely died. Under the cover of night, the guard cut a small hole through a portion of the work camp fence. They then fled barefooted through snow drifts nearly waist deep.

“how could you give away your only chance at freedom?” I asked, dumbfounded at the selflessness.

“Because he was my friend,” he smiled and said. “And, good friends- well, they’re worth the risk.”

In one sentence Gus communicated to me what might have otherwise taken a lifetime to understand – that is, that good friends are priceless in terms of life value.

Whatever the strife, the upset, the unsettledness — in the end, we must ask ourselves…are we willing to lose the joy of their essence?

In an odd twist of fate, Gus one day reunited with his friend. Nearly 40 years later, each walking the same corridor in Charleston, South Carolina.

“Is it you there, my dearest friend,” he cried. And from that point on, they never once missed an opportunity to spend time together.

“Some friendships, they’re just worth the wait,” he winked.

A little something to consider on this day. Come to think of it, I think I’ll leave another message for my dearest friend.

As, some friends have a life value that is truly limitless.

About

Tara Lemieux is a mindful wanderer, and faithful stargazer. Although she often appears to be listening with great care, rest assured she is most certainly‘forever lost in thought. She is an ardent explorer and lover of finding things previously undiscovered or at the very least mostly not-uncovered.

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