What is friendship? What does it mean to you?

This weekend Carmen and both of our children went to Orlando to watch my college roommate Ed, and his 30 year old son Steven, run the Disney Marathon. Of course, our son Lino was there already since he lives in Orlando. This has become a tradition (6 years now) for us, and over the years our entourage has grown. For us, friendship and family are very closely bound. Miles, time, family issues, financial pressures—nothing can stop us from getting together for this annual event. Our friends, Sharon, Phil, and their son Brett (in from NYC), and my sister and brother-in-law Hildy and Lou (also our friends) and their children Becker and Smash were there too. Ed’s children (the aforementioned Steven; Kristen, and Dana), Steven’s wife Cary and their brand new daughter Olivia, and last, but not least Ed’s nephew Kevin rounded out the herd. We traipsed through Disney Studios on Saturday and Epcot on Sunday—all 17 of us, armed with cellphones for when we got separated or lost (and we did!), and just had a wonderful time together. Laughs, laughs, food (lots of food), and more laughs! To me these are friendships that can’t be beat. Ed, Phil, and I went to college together (we’re talking about the early 70’s) and we still talk about intramurals and the All-College trophy. This is what friendship means to me. What about you?
Dr. Rick