You can't change the stripes....

That expression has always carried a negative connotation to me. It goes along with "you can't teach an old dog new tricks" or "once a cheater, always a cheater". But today I was having lunch with an old friend. Someone I had not seen in a long time; and not because we had a falling out-in fact, I am not even sure why we had lost touch. I am just glad we reconnected. And I found that this girl's stripes really hadn't changed-and it was a great thing. I enjoyed her sense of humor, her perspective, her sense of style, everything I had always enjoyed about this girl. Times have changed us-we have both been humbled in so many ways. In fact, the last 5 or so years have brought some unpleasant times for both of us. However, as with old friends, it made no difference, and it could have been a sunny day in 2001 that we were getting together. It seemed like time stood still. I love these types of friendships. It doesn't matter how life's fortunes have shifted, you can always just sit and gab with these people. They make you laugh, make you think, maybe you share a few tears, but it is so very geniune. And it was so very welcome.