Two hours with the FBI

No, I was not in trouble.

A friend of mine recently retired from the FBI. I knew him years ago when we both worked for a local city. He wore a badge. I just researched and told people they couldn't do things...and got up in the middle of the night to "risk manage" when there was a police involved shooting or an accident involving city property....*

I have kept up with my friend's career through other friends. That so often seems to happen. Life takes us different directions and we keep in touch, peripherally.

So, I crashed this retirement party...and didn't get arrested. Instead they fed me chicken and cake (Yes, cake!). And those of us who worked together 25+ years ago sat together and caught up a bit. We talked about our kids and jobs. We talked about what those who didn't make the party are doing. We talked about some of those friends we have lost. We exchanged email addresses and phone numbers. We hugged and we laughed and (a few of us) cried.

We honored our friend. We honored our friendships.

One of these old friends called me tonight. We talked for over an hour. The years fell away.

I can only say that I am a very fortunate woman. I am grateful that I have such friends. I am blessed to walk the earth with them.

Yeats said it:**


You that would judge me, do not judge alone
This book or that, come to this hallowed place
Where my friends' portraits hang and look thereon;
Ireland's history in their lineaments trace;
Think where man's glory most begins and ends,
And say my glory was I had such friends. 



 NOTES:

*Yes, I did have a much more exciting life (depending on how you want to look at it) when I was younger and could handle the stress. DH used to dress me in a bullet proof vest before I left the house on some of these occasions. He did not want to raise three babies alone. I was never in any danger, but couldn't convince him of that.

**from The Municipal Gallery Revisited, William Butler Yeats