Don’t wait for tragedy to see your closest friends

By Randy Capps

As the name implies, it’s a gathering that sits between the last two major holidays of the year where we visit my South Carolina-based friends for a meal and fellowship.

When you make friends as infrequently as I do, you have to make time for the ones you already have. That’s how “Friendsgivingmas” came to be.

On this chilly December morning, this year’s edition is fresh in my mind. There was a moment as we were sitting around a kitchen table, catching up on what’s been happening in five different families over the course of the past year, when we collectively had an epiphany — and not a very good one.

The only times we had seen the hosts in the last year were for the funerals for their fathers.

Now, I’ve known some of these people since I was 10. I was there for the births of their children, and back when Y2K was a thing, we spent that New Year’s Eve in my living room. You know, just in case.

But, while we used to get together for birthday parties, it’s tragedies that tend to bring us together these days.

We laughed about it as best we could, and resolved to find happier reasons to drive down I-95.

It’s a reminder that tomorrow is not assured, and to embrace the time you have.

And that’s why even though I’m not sure if “Friendsgivingmas” can be held in July under the same name, we’re sure going to give it a try.