My husband and I spend summers in Buffalo, Wyoming, the old hometown of Derek's family. Buffalo has a wonderful small-town newspaper. The following was taken from "Sagebrush Sven", a weekly column that covers the topics of the bench sitters, a group that gets together for coffee. It is like a humorous take on information about different things that have happened to locals the previous week.
This particular column drew on my heartstrings, as it could certainly be written about my own family and community. It was something the bench sitters wanted Sven to repeat... an essay from 25 years ago, author unknown. Yet, it could have been written by any of the 'gray' hairs sitting at the table.
"Friends"
"I grew up in the '40s and '50s with practical parents. A mother, God love her, who washed aluminum foil after she cooked in it, then reused it. She was the original recycle queen, before they had a name for it. We had a father who was happier getting old shoes fixed than buying new ones. Their marriage was good; their dreams focused. It was the time for fixing things... a curtain rod, the kitchen radio, screen door, the over door, the hem in a dress. It was a way of life, and sometimes it made me crazy. All the fixing and renewing....I wanted just once to be wasteful. Waste meant affluence. Throwing things way meant you knew there'd always be more.
But then my mother died, and on that clear summer's night, in the warmth of the hospital room, I was struck with the pain of learning that sometimes there isn't any more. Sometimes, what we care about most gets all used up and goes away...never to return. So...while we have it...it's best we love it...and care for it...and fix it when it's broken...and heal it when it's sick.
This is true...for marriage...and old cars...and children with bad report cards...and dogs with bad hips...and aging parents...and grandparents. We keep them because they are worth it.There are just some things that make life important, like people we know who are special...and so, we keep them close! Good friends are like stars...you don't always see them, but you know they are always there."
"Sagebrush Sven," Buffalo Bulletin: p. A4, Oct 1, 2026. buffalobulletin.com
