At this time of year my thoughts always seem to dwell on the blessings that have come my way and one of the most important is friendship.

This particular gift is as essential as it can be unpredictable. It can come and linger briefly before disappearing or it can entrench itself in the heart for a longer lodging. I feel that this latter one is the most priceless because even though it doesn’t continuously reveal itself, it’s always there waiting to be retrieved like a warm blanket near your bed on a chilly night.

Mark Twain once wrote that “Friendship is of so sweet and steady and loyal and enduring a nature that it will last through a whole lifetime.”

I found this to be true when I recently discovered a packet of letters written to me by my English friend Ernie Godward. I had apparently misplaced them years ago in a filing cabinet. By the way, this correspondence spanned about three decades.

Ernie and I met when we were both working for the Lincoln Archaeological Trust in the early 1970s. We formed an immediate friendship. After I returned home we continued our connection and he even came to stay with us on two occasions. As I read one of his letters from 1985, I realized how firm our amity has always been. In response to my informing him of my mother’s passing, he replied, “To say that I’m thinking of you now in this moment of your loss is not nearly enough. Know that my family and I share your pain and that whenever you need us you have a home here in England.”

Ernie’s words of comfort proved yet again that friendship is the mortar that holds people together. We’re constantly in touch.

And speaking of additional friends, a few weeks ago I had the pleasure of attending an evening reunion at a local restaurant with 10 of my former classmates from Catholic High School. As they began arriving at the venue, I initially didn’t recognize many but within moments I started connecting the faces of these “strangers” with their names. After all, I hadn’t seen most of them since our graduation over 55 years ago and my mind still saw them as adolescents sitting at their school desks. But now before me were sober-minded men standing tall as they escorted their wives.

My bittersweet recollections from high school faded quickly due to the warm welcome I received from the guys. More importantly, I was very happy to be among them. I couldn’t wait to find out where their lives had led them. While becoming reacquainted I saw our group not just as older men but, in a way, as vintage vehicles with some of the expected dents and rust spots. However, our engines hummed, our inspection stickers were still valid and the open road beckoned.

Incidentally, I’ve chosen not to mention any names just in case the fellows prefer to maintain some degree of privacy. But my friends know who they are and that’s all that really matters. Terrific guys all! I’m looking forward to future get-togethers.

This reunion certified the fidelity of friendship.

O.J. GONZALEZ is a native and resident of Jeanerette. He graduated from USL in printmaking and photography and his photographs have appeared in publications in Louisiana, Alaska, Canada, New Zealand and England.