Old Friends

Yesterday we were down at the "cottage" to have a small get together with 3 old friends. All of us have known each other since 1966 (at least) so that is close to 40 years. As soon as we got together it was catch up time with old names and places, then just ramblings about everything such as old sayings, great movies, sports, and well, just about everything under the sun. We had a quick soccer game which showed us our diminished athletic ability. At one point in a conversation Skinny and I came to the conclusion that friends and family were the most inmportant things in life and that we had striven for so much else 20 and 30 years ago.
This morning I thought of two people who weren't there and imagined how their personalities would have added to our get together. But as you get older you tend to only be able to remember those you no longer can be with. Death is the final separation. That seems to add to how important life right now really is.