Friends for Life
By John Atkinson
Who could ever guess which kid will be your friend for life? My old pal Chris Meadows and I have reconnected after more than fifty years. Time didn’t fade our friendship. While raising our children, life led us on different paths, like a huge circle until they crossed again in 2008.
Back in the 1950s Chris was cool and the girls were wild over him. For his fan club, I wished him well. I hung around and got plenty of attention from that crowd. Chris saw me as overly sensitive, ready to fight, so he taught me how to be cool by example. One time we wore peg leg pants to a dance that were so tight around the ankles they had to cut us out of them. At the dance Chris turned me onto Johnny Carter and the Spinners, a band that jammed the old Glen Allen Armory. After that, I ran away from home and we separated with only a howdy to one another in the 80s and 90s.
Chris takes everything he does to an art form. I was surprised to learn about his pottery. Some of his work should be in a museum. I knew he could jam guitar and play a dozen other instruments. He has spread himself thin with all that, but not his clay works. Chris understands music to the point I would never think twice about his ability as a recording engineer. In our reunion I asked what he wanted to leave this world, his gift to a full life. He said to be remembered as a potter. I told him he doesn’t have to worry about that. Back to his many gifts in the art world. Using only a few things, photos, construction paper and a camera, Chris pasted photo art on my blog that has amazed me. He did the artwork while running his barber business and mending his bad back. He’s still as cool and connected as he was in the old days. Here’s a picture of him between two familiar faces. I’m just as proud of him as the first day we met, my cool friend for life, Chris Meadows.John Atkinson is the author of TIMEKEEPER, a magnificent book about a young boy who fights to overcome illiteracy. Timeekeeper, ISBN 978-0-9776076-5-5, is available in hardcover or paperback .To order your copy call 1-800-228-9316. International orders call: 00-1-831-238-7799 or visit: www.fisherkingpress.com
5 comments:
Good morning, John! Thanks for sharing your thoughts about your friend, Chris. (Hi, Chris!) What a wonderful gift - to have that thread of friendship running through the fabric of your life! I have a friend I feel that way about. You've inspired me to get in touch with her today and tell her what she means to me. Thanks!
Thanks Heather. I hope you have a wonderful day with your friend.
Old friends are the best, chis sounds very interesting. I have a lifetime friend also, I have known her since I was two years old and she was a new born. We know we have something special and we make it a point to stay in touch. I am meeting her next week for breakfast.
A true friend has no solitary joy or sorrow. Friendships for life are one of the most fulfilling experiences we can have.
Knowledge is like the pollen of the flower, from it the bee makes it's honey, and the spider it's poison.
As we think so we become.
Grasshopper
tomeure, thank you for sharing your kind and wise insight. And thank you for visiting my blog. Please come back and share in the spirit of the White Buffalo. Peace
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