Some of the best memories I have are times spent with two very good friends and a cat that I formed a very special bond with. I have lots of friends and lots of great memories so it is not to take away from any of them. These two people I am writing about today have found a special place in my heart for different reasons. They have both watched me go into my cocoon and emerge through a transformation process that even I don’t fully understand.

Friend and Mentor

My first friend pictured I saw last summer for the first time in four years. She came to visit me with her husband on their travels across Canada and the US. We first met in 2014 when I was still living in Victoria, British Columbia. I was seeking a purpose for my life after being unemployed for almost a year. I was asking myself big questions and wondering what my older years were going to be about. One day I came up with the idea of becoming a sage, whatever that meant. I thought I could somehow become a Wise Elder or Sage. So I Googled Sage and found a book “From Age-ing to Sage-ing – A Revolutionary Approach to Growing Older”. That sounded like a good place to start. This led me to an Organization called Sage-ing International that was founded by the author of the book — Salman Schachter-Shalomi. This organization offers courses, workshops and retreat weekends. It is an international organization with regional contacts. So I wrote to the person for my area. That was my first encounter with my now dear friend Nancy. We met and instantly discovered so many things we had in common. She was easy to talk with. She is older than me and is trained to be a mentor. I enrolled in two of the intensive weekend retreats she was facilitating and I received my certificate. Over the years she has introduced me to others in the organization and I joined a Wisdom Circle that she was leading. This was the beginning of my elder years and was a big turning point for me in my life.

Writing Companion

As our friendship developed Nancy and I became writing partners. We met every two weeks spending time writing alone together. We started with a common prompt and then wrote whatever came to us during a set period of time. When we were done we would share what we had written with one another taking great pleasure in seeing where the prompt led us. One of my favourite memories was the day we chose a prompt I had seen on a website “She was raised in a graveyard by ghosts”. We decided to take ourselves to the local cemetery to write. It was a beautiful warm, sunny day overlooking the ocean. We sat there on our lawn chairs in a grassy opening with our books and pens and wrote for forty-five minutes. The stories that we wrote that day were both humorous and dark in content. It was so much fun. We still laugh about it to this day. Nancy not only became my friend and mentor she became a soul sister. She is someone who I can go months and not talk to and yet we can pick up right where we left off the last time we talked. It is amazing to me how we found each other just because I was curious and seeking some greater purpose to my life.

Old Friend, True Friend

My next friend pictured is someone I have known since elementary school. We grew up in the same neighbourhood and went to the same school. We lost touch over the years and then one day she found me on Facebook and we connected again. It is not often you find someone who has known you for such a long time and can share the old memories of days gone by and at the same time remind you who you are today. Irene is another one of my soul sisters who I share many childhood memories with. She remembers things about me that I had long forgotten and always gives me something to laugh about. One of the things we share is a love of baseball and we have celebrated our friendship at a BlueJays baseball game on more than one occassion. It is so much fun. I can laugh and be so silly with her and at the same time we connect on so many levels. We both love art and she is a wonderful fabric artist as well as visual artist. We complement each other. Again we can go for a long period of time and not see or talk with one another and just pick up where we left off or start fresh with something new.

Feline Friend

Then there is my old buddy Kipper. I spent just over a year looking after him when his parents went away. He was my pal through good times and not so good times. He was another one of my dear friends who supported my writing as well as my Spiritual Journey. When I stayed with him I often felt like I was on retreat in a perfect little cottage. He would curl up on the sofa beside me while I wrote on my laptop. Periodically I would stop and read to him what I had written. Sometimes he would look up and appear to be listening while other times he would simply keep sleeping beside me. Either way I loved his company. When it was his turn to be fed he would get my attention and remind me who was the boss. We had a special understanding. Even though he was not my cat and I only spent time with him periodically there was a bond that we shared and when he left this world at the age of twenty years old I morned his passing. To this day when I visit his parents who are also now my dear friends I miss seeing him coming round the corner or up the stairs to greet me. I have very fond memories of our time together.

And finally …..

There are so many people I could write about who have changed my life and added to my story. I could not be where I am today without all the many friends in my circle who I love and who love me and without my family who I adore and cherish with all of my heart. It has been good for me to write this piece and open the memory banks. I have been feeling very stuck and uninspired for a few months now and somehow today I found the key to open my heart once again. Thanks to all of you who follow me and read these posts. I appreciate your presence and comments. I am not that good and all the technical parts of this website so forgive me if it is hard to find the post. I am working on it.