When colleagues leave for greener pastures

Recently, a whole bunch of old friends and office colleagues took up a company offer to opt for early retirement. The whole thing came as a result of a downsizing exercise by the organisation.
A number of them received some hefty payouts, much to the envy of those who thought they too could use that kind of money. Anyway, several of them have already been head-hunted and have begun work elsewhere. So that sudden windfall by our generous benefactors was most welcome.
A close colleague of about 30 years couldn't believe his luck. He's only 51 and had been praying for a grand "retirement gift" for years. Well, this time he struck gold. He was so beside himself with joy that he threw two parties for all of us. It was his way of saying, let's help celebrate my fantastic luck.
Life is such that most of us are accustomed to our old colleagues and after a while, we are like members of the same family. I know I am going to miss a large number of these people.
I have experienced this part of ways before. Decades later when I bumped into them again, I am surprised that physically some of them have changed so much. I always think that I am the one who hasn't changed, but we do change in more ways than one.
Discomfort descends like an unexpected downpour when I forget the names of some of these dear, old colleagues. It's a bit embarrassing that we were once good friends and somehow at that moment in time, his or her name escapes me. Oh my God, I am sorry, I say quietly to myself.
Once, I actually had the fit of forgetfulness, and it was a good friend. It just turned out that her appearance had altered a bit. In fact, she looked better than before. Woman's intuition is always stronger than man's. She sensed that I had forgotten her name and asked, "do you remember my name".
Without missing a beat, I replied "YES!" Her name was at the tip of my tongue but I was too cowardly to say it, lest it was the wrong name. So I took the safe route. I asked: "Give me your latest calling card." Yes, it was her all right. What a relief.
That's what separation of years can do to a person's memories. Now, there's a technique of remembering names, even decades later. My personal memory technique is to pray for all my good friends and name them every day in my prayers.
Decades later, when I encounter them, their names pop up like the rays of the beautiful sunrise in the morning. They will of course express great surprise at my uncanny memory retention but not me because I know better. Wink. Wink.
Sometimes, I think every life is like a book. When we make friends, it's just like reading a book. If we like that book, we keep it and reread the chapters but the book is always with us. Either we carry it with us most of the time, or we leave it in the book shelf but it's there when we want it.
Friendship is a little like that. When we lose that book, we may forget it but years later, when we come across a book with the same title, the memories come rushing back.
Some people are of the opinion that sentimentality is reserved for the soft and weeny. I don't know what they actually mean by that but I love being sentimental. It is a comforting reminder that I have not forgotten those friends who mean a lot to me. It means that our friendship or relationship has not been a journey devoid of meaning.
Every encounter is a lesson benefiting both parties. I always benefit from an encounter, be it a strong friendship or a fleeting acquaintance. Even now, when I think back of my childhood days, I wonder about those friends who came into my life, as I had entered theirs, decades ago.
I try to visualise what they look like now; what they are doing, how do they look now. I can only conclude I won't be able to recognise them even if I come face to face with them. But if fate so decreed that we should meet again, somehow we will meet and we will remember. Such is life.
These days, I cherish all the good times I can muster. Moments like this when I reminisce about the writings in my dad's journal. There was one that I like so much that I had it committed to memory.
Here it is, fresh as the day when it was written. It is an evergreen like the leaves of a tropical forest.

Friendship cheers the faint and weary
Makes the timid spirit brave
Warns the erring, lights the dreary
Smooths the passage to the grave.