Five Years a Writer

“'Tis the set of the sails / And not the gales / That tells the way we go” By any measure, 50 years of friendship is something — something to cherish, to nurture, to celebrate. I am fortunate to have a friendship that has endured over five decades. Jennifer and I met in high school (in Edmonton) where I was the new kid, just moved from England, a bit gawky and awkward with my big glasses, goofy hair, and strong British accent. As I recall it, she opened the conversation, I responded, and we have been friends ever since. Fifty years is a long time, but not as long as 72 years. Last Thursday evening, I was in the company of three women who met in 1953 and who remain friends to this day. They were part of the "coronation girls" — 50 young Canadian women, sponsored by Garfield Weston to attend Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation in London. They came from all across Canada, meeting on the train that picked them up from west to east. Then the transatlantic voyage on the "Empr...