Childhood friends...

My friend of 23 years just lost her dad to cancer. She had come to both my parents' funerals, and has been there for me when I needed her. This time around, I kept my distance from her, giving her control of contact, because I didn't want to smother her. She'd call if she needed me. She didn't call me because I'd been through this twice, and didn't want to burden me. Well, we both learned something I suppose. She will never burden me, and I will never smother her.

If we met today, I don't know how close we'd be. We don't have tons of stuff in common, but the bond between us is so strong, it doesn't matter. She's my sister, as far as I am concerned.

Childhood friends are special, and you only get once chance really... I am extremely lucky to have one, and to have kept contact all these years. Even though we didn't call each other every week, and there was probably a year or two where we only spoke on birthdays... it doesn't matter. What we have will not go away.