50+ Lifestyles

A Kaleidoscope of Life

By Mary Schricker Gemberling

“We didn’t know we were making memories, we just knew we were having fun.”

When I was about ten years old I received a unique present; a kaleidoscope. Although the circumstances and demise of the gift are vague, I do remember the awe I experienced when I first glanced through the cylinder. I look back on that day and wonder why it fascinated me so? Was it the design which appeared to be glass chips falling apart, and then whenshaken, coming back together again in a new beautiful design? Was it the chips that appeared to change colors and shapes falling in and out but always seeming to land in the right place. Or was it the toy itself? How did all those pieces remain contained in that cylinder and not fall out?

That glimpse from my past, stored for so many years in the recesses of my brain surfaced the other evening when I opened the door to greet two sorority sisters from my college days. Sandy I had seen just a handful of times over the years, but Becky I had not seen for over forty years. Her total semblance, graced by a minimum of the soft wrinkles of time was like a kaleidoscope with the pieces coming together in the right place to make a beautiful familiar design. Time briefly stopped for me as I envisioned three young feisty girls beginning a friendship so many years ago; a friendship that would endure for 55 plus years and resurface here in a condo in Fort Myers, Florida!

Introductions were made and refreshments were served as we headed out to the lanai. Our husbands found familiar topics to share, while Sandy, Becky and I caught up on careers, family and life in general, filling in the gaps of years of separation. After a couple of hours we gathered around the
a table at the clubhouse for dinner, reminiscing about the harmless antics of so long ago. Our laughter was contagious. At the end of the evening, I felt pure and simple joy that these ladies who I had first met when I was just beginning my adult life could still have a significant role in my remaining years. That feeling I had felt when I first greeted them five hours earlier intensified as we found a common foundation of beliefs and values that had served us well through the years. With much still left to be said we hugged and hugged, as if to catch up on over fifty years of missed moments. Each of us knew that this was a promise we would keep, as we vowed to meet again next year in Florida to continue filling in the blanks.

At each stage of my life from those early college days to the present, I have been blessed with friends with whom I have shared memorable times. These individuals have seen me through marriage, divorce, and raising two sons. We have leaned on each other through celebrations and tragedies. We have worked together, traveled together, and fueled by an occasional glass of wine single-handedly solved the world’s problems. And knowing each and every one of them has enriched my life immeasurably.

How can one describe the importance of friendship? I believe notable author John Joseph Powell might have said it best:

“ It is an absolute human certainty that no one can know his own beauty or perceive a sense of his own worth until it has been reflected back at him in the mirror of another loving caring human being.”

Mary, a former educator and Seniors Real Estate Specialist, is the author of four books: The West End Kid, Labor of Love; My Personal Journey through the World of Caregiving, Hotel Blackhawk; 100 years of Elegance, Ebenezer United Methodist Church; 150 years of Resiliency.