Sublimest

After a good long rest, and a slow morning of moving around, the kids and I headed to Chapel Hill to meet a couple former Hinton James floor mates from 1987-88. It was a perfect November day in Chapel Hill: crisp air, no rain (then) and a great day to walk down Franklin to have lunch at Mama Dip's.

Since we were meeting at Silent Sam, it gave me a chance to talk to the kids about the statute, as well as listen to their questions. Sam had a couple plaques on his pedestal, one of which contained a quote from "their great commander" that referenced his belief that "duty is the sublimest word in the English language."

First thought was why Robert E. Lee wasn't specifically identified as the author of the quote (since he was obviously their great commander -- a fact I later verified when I researched the word). Then the word "sublimest" got stuck in my throat. "That can't be right," was the first thought that went through my head, and echoed around.

After everyone had gathered, we took off for that walk, lunch and lots of chatting and watching kids of all ages act appropriate and inappropriate for the settings. Meanwhile the old folks played a game we like to call, "What the hell was there when we were here?" or "where the hell is..." Made me think, as they laughed about the idea of pushing strollers never crossing their minds 25 years ago, that we are those old people we never thought we'd become. It sucked.

But to spend time with people who remembered a full, thick, black head of hair where now the unblown dunes of the desert on top of head now dominates, and still remembered me fondly, and I remembered them with equal affection, was a wonderful reminder that time does not steal friendships... it only enriches them.