Way back when, circa the infancy days of the Voice from the Bullpen, we (Sally and me) had many connections with other people, with whom we crossed many paths. Some were through our jobs, some through church, some through Holy Family School, some who were co-coaches and co-officials, and some were people we had connections with way back in our own school, growing up, and hanging out days.

I remember seeing a movie at a Drive-In movie theater (how old am I?) a whole lot of years ago titled, Friends, which came out in ’71, the year I graduated from high school. Ironically, I’m now 71, and that movie and its featured song, written and performed by Sir Elton John, reverberate in my mind as I think of how many amazingly wonderful friends Sally and I have, and have had, and will have forever, even if we only crossed paths only once, as of now, in our lifetime.

I recall including the lyrics of the movie’s song in one of my narratives back then, and writing about our friends, and our connection with one another, and how special all our friends are to us, even if only our connections were brief. One of the few technology acronyms I’ve figured out and remember is BFF (Best Friend Forever). No matter the situation, no matter the duration of our friendship, no matter if some have passed, and no matter if we’ve not met yet (because through the years we’ve made amazing friends at the next concert we have gone to, or the next experience we shared at church, or anywhere, anytime in our future), they’ll be a friend forever. Most recently, some of our newly met friends include our friends at St. Michael Church in Independence, OH, two young ladies, and another couple we’ve connected with at Guardians games, and the manager of the Parking Garage where we park at Guardians games, all with whom we now share many smiles, laughs, and hugs.

We add those people to our friends list which includes the people we hung out with separately before Sally and I met, my work friends, Sally’s work friends, then after we met and married, the parents whose children Sally watched, many whom she didn’t know until she began watching their kids, but some became our friends, and teachers I knew and with whom I worked who became Sally’s friends too. We’ve also become friends with some of the parents (volunteer chaperones/helpers) whose children I taught, and because of their being much older now, I can say many students and athletes have become my friends too. Some call me, Facebook message me, and see me in stores or local watering holes (oops…restaurants), and I’m honored most still call me Mr. Lombardo, Mr. L, or Coach. I also have my fellow umpires and coaches as friends too, and we’ve shared fun times with them at end of season banquets.

Through our time spent together, we’ve had neighborhood friends, Babe Ruth World Series friends from those who were fellow host families, to parents, grandparents, and other family members of kids we’ve hosted. We’ve made and become friends with Jon’s baseball, basketball, and soccer teams’ parents, from age five to his graduation from college. That included Bambino Baseball, Cal Ripken Baseball, Cooperstown Kids Baseball, 13-15 Baseball, Travel Baseball, Frewsburg High School Baseball, Medaille College Baseball, JAYS Soccer (indoor and outdoor), Frewsburg High School Soccer, Holy Family Basketball, Frewsburg High School Basketball, Chasy’s JHS Orchestra group, her Jamestown Orchestra of Youth (JOY) group, and JHS A’Capella Choir, Chrissy’s Gymnastics, and her Washington Middle School Band. We met people in all those situations, some with whom we’ve become good friends.

We can include all those people with our family members, who will always be more than family, they’ll forever be cherished friends too. As mentioned, we have our Holy Family School friends, Mega-Bucks friends, Holy Apostles Parish Friends, my R. H. Jackson Center, JHS Baseball, Jamestown Jammers, FCS, CVCS, and, Post Journal friends, our concert friends, (especially fellow Parrotheads we knew before going to concerts, and those we’ve met, and not yet met, in so many different cities and venues following the great storyteller, Jimmy Buffett.)

We have Cleveland Browns Backers friends, Waddington’s Tavern friends, our friends at Cheers of Jamestown (The Pub), many friends we run into at Lakewood Rod and Gun Club, and all the bartenders and servers at our favorite watering holes. I have friends with whom I played softball, friends from St. James School, where for about consecutive ten years most of us were classmates and considered each other close friends, and we knew all the students in the school, so they, too, were our friends (still are today). Sally came from a very small town, where everyone knew everyone else, and where not many locked their doors. How can those people not be friends?

Even something as serious as COVID-19 brought some people together and bonded them into more than a friendship, much more than a special friendship, but a friendship that could never be described with mere adjectives. I know this for a fact, because COVID-19 brought me closer to someone (who wishes to be nameless) who was an acquaintance, but COVID threw us together into a room (be it a bar room), and created one of the deepest friendships I could ever describe, and shortly after, drew Sally and Christine together too. So, a priceless friendship, stronger than steel, came from a not so good situation.

From young ages, my kids numerously asked me if there was anyone I didn’t know. Whenever they were with me, I’d almost inevitably meet someone and end up talking, what seemed like forever to them.

We’ve considered many of our friends as family “not by blood,” just as we feel all our blood family, immediate, extended, all relative-wise, and those so close to us, from growing up days (Georges, O’Connors), Dad’s Catholic War Veterans friends, and Sally’s parents’ card buddies and traveling companions, to be friends for life and beyond.

So, today’s theme is that friendships can, and should, last forever, and even longer. You can never meet, and/or have, too many friends in your life, and it can never be said enough that friendships are more than just a couple of people who just know each other.

I leave you with the lyrics of Elton John’s song, and say to all of you, Thank you my friends!

“I hope the day will be a lighter highway

For friends are found on every road

Can you ever think of any better way

For the lost and weary travelers to go

Making friends for the world to see Let the people know you got what you need

With a friend at hand you will see the light If your friends are there, then everything’s all right

It seems to me a crime that we should age

These fragile times should never slip us by

A time you never can or shall erase

As friends together watch their childhood fly

Making friends for the world to see

Let the people know you got what you need

With a friend at hand you will see the light

If your friends are there, then everything’s all right”

(Repeat last four lines)

Source: LyricFind

Songwriters: Bernard J.P. Taupin / Elton John

Friends lyrics (c) Universal Music Publishing Group.