Please don't use the 'Send page' feature of your computer to send this entire page
in an e-mail message or document format.  This distorts the layout and separates
the page from its source.  If you'd like to share it, please just send the link.
The link to this page is:  
http://www.thepastwhispers.com/Between_You_and_Me.html
Music:  That's What Friends Are For

Whispers - Home
Old New Orleans
Friday's Journal
Between You and Me
One bright Halloween morning, a long time ago, an announcement came over the PA system at
Henry Allen elementary school in New Orleans.  It was directed at Mrs. Vath's 5th grade class,
asking that someone be sent to the principal's office to escort a new student to the room.

Mary's hand shot up like a cannon, as she eagerly volunteered for the task.  She wasn't
particularly anxious to meet the new student, but she figured that, if she walked slowly, she
could stretch the errand into 10, maybe even 15 minutes.  And the idea of 15 minutes away
from class appealed to her very much.

It appealed to the new student, too.  Her name was Nancy and she enthusiastically entered
into the longest-slowest-way-back-to-class conspiracy.  I'm not sure how long the trip actually
took, but it was sufficient time to form a bond between the two children that was destined to
last a very long time.

Every year, when October rolls around, I start shopping for a Halloween/anniversary card to
send to my best friend, Mary, and she does the same for me.  We used to celebrate with an
outing, usually lunch in the French Quarter, until several years ago, when Mary and her
husband moved away to be near their daughter.  Now, it's cards and e-mails and phone calls.

Last Halloween, my granddaughter was the same age as I was when Mary and I met.  She and
her best friend came to our house to start out on their round of Trick-or-Treating.  With my
granddaughter, blonde and tall (like me at that age), and her best friend, brunette and shorter
(like Mary), both of them with pony tails and the boundless energy of 10-year-olds, it took me
back to the Halloween when I met my best friend for life.  I sent a picture of them to Mary:  
"Who do they remind you of?"  She wrote back, "You and me!  It doesn't seem that long ago."

The title of this page comes from an updated version of the old poem, "Mizpah," which you'll
find further down on the page.  With Halloween coming soon, I've been waxing nostalgic
lately, and regretting that Mary and I can't celebrate the day together, as we did for so many
years.  When I came across the poem, I thought I would print it and include it in Mary's card.  
But then, I thought there might be others who have a lifetime best friend, perhaps a friend
who no longer lives nearby.  That's the reason I'm sharing it.

This page is for all best friends everywhere.  But especially for one named Mary.

-- Nancy
This is the second of two pages featuring photos from each of the fifty U.S.
states.  The link to the first web page can be found at the bottom of this page.
~   ~   ~
The picture at the top of the page:  Starr's Mill, Fayette County, Georgia.
New River Gorge Bridge, Fayette County, West Virginia
Olympic National Park, Washington
Charleston, South Carolina
Peacemaker, Ludington Lighthouse, Ludington, Michigan
Baltimore County, Maryland
Chimney Rock on the Oregon Trail, Nebraska
Pioneer Mother Memorial, Kansas City, Missouri -- This memorial depicts a pioneer
mother with baby in arms on horseback, traveling westward over the plains.
Created by A. Phimister Proctor, it was dedicated in 1927.  The inscription reads:
"Whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge; thy people
shall be my people; thy God my God."
Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Shermon County, Kansas
Travis County, Texas
Lamoille County, Vermont
Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway, Carbon County, Pennsylvania
Spring Hill College, Mobile, Alabama
Thor's Well, Cape Perpetua, Oregon
Split Rock Lighthouse, Lake County, Minnesota
Fly Geyser, Washoe County, Nevada
Antelope Canyon, LeChee Chapter of the Navajo Nation, Arizona
Baywood Greens Golf Course, Long Neck, Delaware
Mizpah

The Lord watch between me and thee, when we
are absent one from another.  Genesis 31:49

You go your way and I'll go mine - apart, yet not afar,
Only a thin veil hangs between the pathways where we are.
God keep watch 'tween you and me, this is my daily prayer,
He looks your way, He looks mine, and so He keeps us near.

I know not where your road may lie, or which way mine will be,
If mine will lead through parching sands and yours beside the sea.
Yet God keep watch 'tween you and me, so never fear,
He holds your hand, He holds mine, and He keeps us near.

Should wealth and fame perchance be yours and my lot lowly be,
Or you be sad and sorrowful, and glory be for me;
Yet God keep watch 'tween you and me, and both be in His care,
One arm round you and one round me, will always keep us near.

And though our paths be separate, and your way is not mine,
Yet, coming to the mercy seat, my soul will meet with thine.
"God keep watch 'tween you and me," I'll whisper to you there.
He blesses you, He blesses me, and we've always been near.

--  Julia Baker
Sandy Neck Lighthouse, Barnstable, Massachusetts
Field of Empty Chairs, Oklahoma City National Memorial, Oklahoma City,
Oklahoma -- The memorial honors the victims, survivors and rescuers
of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.
Idaho Castle, Lake Pend Oreille, Hope, Idaho
Laura Ingalls Wilder homestead site, near De Smet, South Dakota
Islamorada, Monroe County, Florida Keys, Florida
The International Peace Garden is on the border between the state of North
Dakota and the province of Manitoba, Canada.  It's a symbol of the peaceful
relationship between the two nations.  The Garden was dedicated in 1932,
symbolizing that "two nations can live in harmony along the longest unfortified
border in the world."  The inscription on the monument reads:  "To God in His
Glory, we two nations dedicate this garden and pledge ourselves that as long
as men shall live, we will not take up arms against one another."