Erin Durham, Mary Price, Scotland and I
Last week I was lucky enough to spend a morning with my dear college room mate, Erin Durham. Erin and I dormed together my sophomore and junior years at Oberlin. She is a dear friend, and great inspiration. I’ve never known anyone who loves learning more- and that’s not an overstatement. She is the “salt of the earth” type. It warmed my heart to hear her loud bursts of laughter, to see again her thoughtful downturned head, and her meek closed lips. I felt her love for the people of West Virginia where she served her mission, and was enthralled by the person she has become since our years together. Mostly, I was reminded of our dear friendship. Flashbacks of late evenings spent chatting in the doorway that separate our two rooms in German house, or strong discussions we had over the Huff table were vivid again. Driving to Oberlin I felt a bit guilty that I hadn’t been better at writing Erin on her mission. My one meager letter hardly seemed sufficient. But, Erin welcomed me back with open arms. I’m not good at maintaining “old” friendships. It’s something I need to work on. I feel it’s important to live in the present so when I move to a new situation I throw myself into making “new” friends, which often comes at the expense of keeping older friendships alive. I’m not sure where the balance lies. Regardless, Erin’s visit was just what I needed to revive our friendship and help me re-feel my admiration for her.