"Good friends are truly worth holding onto for they are few and far between in the span of one's life. They are not only there in times of genuine need, but are there for you whatever the circumstances or the manner of inconvenience it may cause. They will tell you the truth, however uncomfortable when nothing less than the full truth will suffice. At times of crucial importance they will reveal their 'true friendship' by being prepared to risk hurting your feelings in order to do what they believe to be in your best interest.The best of friends will remain in frequent contact while the oldest of friends may not see each other for half a century or more while never forgetting.
I recently met up with Tony Walker, an old friend of my past who I grew up with on Windybank Estate, went to school with, played with and who I hadn't seen for over sixty years. I would never have believed how easy it was to slip back into the youth of childhood years with so little effort, yet with an accuracy of recollection that enabled one to remember the minutia of one particular afternoon during one's childhood of the 1950s.
The recall of such moments remind me that we all store both happy and sad images in our memory bank and there is no experience that is ever truly expunged from our inner senses, however pleasant or painful it may prove to be. Hence, the ability we all possess to forgive, but not forget!
So think not upon bad times today for there is much happiness stored away that only requires taking out." William Forde: November 15th, 2014.