[Adventures] in Friendship

[Adventure 296]

 

Renee and I met in college. My college roommate was friends with her college roommate and we lived down the hall from each other. 

We came back from Winter break freshman year and were informed (not asked) by our respective (but not respectful) roommates that Renee was moving in with me and my roommate was moving down the hall. I didn't' know Renee too well at that point, but was happy to have her join the insanity.

We quickly became friends ... best friends. After a few months our former roommates wanted things back the way they originally were and we refused. 

I met my other best friend in college as well...my  husband. Renee and Jim would come home to Naugatuck, CT with me from Selinsgrove, PA and we would have fun wandering and staying up late talking. 

Eventually Renee did what a real best friend does, and got me the help I needed when I had a mental and emotional breakdown. She supported me through one of the darkest times in my life. I didn't return to college after that, but did get an apartment and a job and struggled through daily life.

Eventually Jim moved in with me, and so did Renee for a while. Then she was off to Nebraska and Jim and I moved to Connecticut. We kept in touch by snail mail and phone mostly. I treasured Renee's visits and the adventures we had when she was here. 

The three that stick out the most in my memory are our trip to New York City; that time we made too many cheesecakes; and the time Renee took a bus from PA to CT and then took care of Alex in the Emergency Room waiting room shortly after we picked her up because Mal broke her arm sliding/bouncing off the couch. 

Renee now lives around twenty minutes away. Her schedule is busy, as is mine, and some years it takes us months and months to get together for our combined birthday celebration. One would think that planning something between October and December would be doable, but not for us! We message, talk on the phone, chat in person when we can. She comes to most major holidays and celebrations and is truly one of our family. Renee is Aunt (pronounced "ant") Renee to my children, and a sister to me. 

Through the years we have learned that Renee and my husband can't live in the same house together for long, but they get along well together when they don't have to live together. (The light switch argument lives on in our memories.) We've learned that even if we don't communicate with each other for a while, we still love and care for each other and can pick up right where we left off - we just have more to talk about and catch up on. That keeping dates for bringing each other to medical procedures is easier than keeping dates to do fun things...but that we can still have fun together even if medical procedures are involved. 

I hope we have many more adventures together in years to come!