I Miss Some Friend(s)

I Miss Some Friend(s)

John Paul Derryberry

We created Grammy-winning music this weekend at a dinner party for all ages. The last of my friends that could attend left on Sunday morning, our jazz session of relationships muted until we meet again. It's been this way for as long as I have known them. For 18 years, we have made fun of each other, had inside jokes, seen people who have entered the group and others who have left. Just like in Jazz, there are familiar notes, and great individual style-runs that add to the depth of sound our friendships create. 

Now our jam sessions lean into our family lives. We play the classics, our memories, often and we find our gathering sounds more robust.  Yes, we add new memories, but they are all based on the history of what's come before. We fold these new memories into our vernacular as if they were there all along. Oh, there are still individualized solo moments that shock the room, but everything is framed through our history together.  There is a renewed sense of, I've done something right with my life to have such depth of history with such beautiful people.  

As the last of my long-time friends head home, I drift away from the notes and beats I just shared with them to some beautiful people no longer attending. We make choices to better our lives. We re-locate for careers, our spouses, for family. Eventually, our own kids begin to have experiences we want to witness. Next thing, we look around and realize we haven't had a jam session with so-and-so for years and familiar beats and notes when we do hang out are missing. It's no one's fault; it's the way life goes. We walk with people for a while on our journey, say goodbye, and hope we reconnect again. 

I had a blast with my friends this weekend. I missed some, too. It's what happens as you grow and not just grow older, grow in depth, in knowledge, and in connections. You look around the room and say, man, if so-and-so were here they would have loved it. I just want those people to know that the door is open. I love an excellent friendship session. If you're in the neighborhood, you're welcome. I hope if I'm in yours, the door will be open, too.  We once created some pretty good-sounding music together. It's always fun to capture that magic again no matter the time or distance gap between us.