The Ties That Bind...

Paneras Girlfriends (l-r: Norma, me, Terry and Alice. Missing, Kathy)

 

It was like old home week last night. I drove down to Port Charlotte to see my friends from our Fiber Divas group at Paneras. Kathy was also there, but left before we got to picture taking. (We'll be sure to get another shot of the group when I return in two weeks.)

 

We had so much fun visiting. It's been two years since I've seen them, and the group has changed a lot in that time. Dear Adele and Helen passed away before I left. Tammy, our founder, moved to Virginia. Ellen moved to Maryland. Margaret doesn't "snowbird" from Canada anymore. Beulah is over one hundred years old, but no one knows where she is. Doris is in assisted living in Venice, and Krisann moved back to Massachusetts to be near family, as did I. The only members of our core group who still meet are Kathy, Norma, Terry and Alice. We spent the evening remembering the days when we were all together, and the shared interests and stories that bound us together all these years.

Last night, a new lady, Eileen, joined us to learn how to knit. Kathy was sitting with her and had her knitting away by the end of the night. That's what we used to do together, and how our group grew to nearly two dozen members (during "season") on any given Tuesday. We would share our love of knitting and crochet with anyone who wanted to learn. I know they'll continue to do that, even as our little group changes.

I'm looking forward to seeing them again before we go back home, but this was a nice reminder of the dear friends we left behind, and what I loved about living here in Florida. It was really nice.