Family and friends...

"Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun, shining down on me.. Note to remember: on the beaches of Greece where in the afternoon, the sun is intensely shining down on you; 30 to 50 SPF, for a couple 0f white boys (or Greek boys), isn't quite high enough. FL and Gus have gone from alabaster white to eggplant purple. Ouch! I had my vinegar/water spray bottle handy to cool them down.

Friendship is a gift. Why people meet, share conversation and then become friends is unexplainable, coming into our lives, touching our hearts in that special way that bonds you forever. Remember that high school "best friend" that was around to share your deepest secrets? The friend you "drove the strip" with while singing out loud and strong, on those warm summer nights, with the wind blowing in your face? Thinking you were pretty cool being old enough to drive without a grownup in the car. Moving from place to place there always seems to be special people to share in monumental moments of our lives. These friends know you well. They know you prefer bangles to beads, unless the beads happen to be real. They know you prefer chocolate over vanilla, and red to white. You may not see or think about these friends for months or even years. But invariably something will come up one day, out of nowhere: a thought, an old song; or oddly enough a familiar scent, and as clear as day, they come to mind. Or... they show up in person, right in front of your face. So here we are in Greece, a million miles from home, and along comes Maria. Maria is one of those friends. She is here with her son Yonnie and his fiance Jenny, who are planning their wedding for next year. It will be at the village "hordio" where his father was born, which is close by. Spending time with dear friends is as if time is standing still. You may look older, or feel older, but when you reunite, it is as if life's metronome hasn't even skipped a beat.

Invited along for the fun, we took a tour-bus ride that Maria arranged in order to "test drive" the experience for next year. Getting to the small village on a 50 passenger bus was no problem at all. When we arrived at the village and drove through the narrow streets it was a different story. We missed the buildings by millimeters. Not inches! This is where the metric system comes in handy. My hands covered my eyes on several turns with the anticipation of hearing that scrape of metal on the side of concrete. Picture a goat giving birth to a hippopotamus! Seriously, I can't believe he made it, without a scrape or a dent or even a ding. And once in, we had to figure out how to turn around. I think Maria was very impressed with the maneuverability of the bus driver, Nikko, but is considering a smaller bus.

The church in the small "hordio" is to be the venue for the wedding. It is located at the top of a pathway of stones where below rests the remains of the house where Yonnie's father, who passed away earlier this year, was born and raised. With Gus' passing, the sentiment for the village and its symbolism is even more poignant. The house is crippled with age, with no roof and walls that are slowly crumbling to the ground. There were many photographs taken. One in particular, was of the remains of a small window framed in gray petrified-wood. It should have been a window to a young boy's bedroom, but now, looking through, it exposes an empty cavity with a view of the hills and farmland beyond. I can't help but think that this view parallels an image that, to be sure, was embedded deeply in his father's memory. From this point, a year from now, with the late afternoon sun reflecting off the shiny worn cobblestones of the street, the new bride will appear ceremoniously walking up the hill toward the church. With wedding garments flowing and her entourage following, she will embark on the familiar path taken by generations before her. The same church bells that rang to announce the passing of Yonnie's father, will ring to announce Yonnie's wedding.

As a young priest in Houston, Father Lou became the youth advisor when Yonnie was barely 14. There were many activities that our family participated in. Chris and Nichole became the mascots to familiar teens who needed just enough parenting to keep them in line. We innocently accepted the responsibility. Now, 25 years later, with history behind, it was a special honor for Father Lou to be able to offer a blessing of their rings and engagement at this small church in a small village in Greece. Something so unplanned, yet it felt like we were meant to be there. Time had stood still.

The rest of the day was spent touring the area. We stopped at the Castle of Methoni and then on to Pelos which is a charming town where we enjoyed ice cream and refreshments, and a little game of cards. I felt like the old men in the village at their umbrella covered cafes. From here we wound our way to another town where, sitting on a patio overlooking a bay of small and large boats, we enjoyed dinner. Well, I wouldn't exactly call it dinner. It was an array of appetizers that covered the table. By the time we were supposed to order the main course, we declined.

The boys fared well throughout the day. They enjoyed ducking in and out of stone walls and arches and overlooking huge cliffs that exposed the vastness of the sea. They ran through the square at Pelos where they rode the familiar coin operated horsey and small merry-go-rounds of cars. The ones that, if riden long enough, you are sure to feel the affects. With that Jack-in-the box melody that plays over and over again, until you can't get it out of your head for the rest of the day. They kicked the ball and chased it throughout the open square, and enjoyed ice cream that melted all over their faces, hands, clothes and bodies. The only place they were not allowed to go was inside the rod iron fence enclosing a statue of a famous general. The fence obviously keeps tourists out to protect it from wear. Let's just say, we fished the ball out of there more than once. By dinner time the challenge was to keep three tired boys entertained for 2 hours while 12 adults enjoy dinner. They actually did very well. Again, Elias came through with the quote of the day when a plate of fried sardines was accidentally placed in front of him and he expressed himself out loud! "What the hell is that?" Out of the mouths of babes!