Friendships Without Time or Distance

Some friendships just don't recognize the influence of time or distance. You can pick up exactly where you left off, no matter how long or how far the separation. One of those friendships for the Reyers family began in Korea, which is a place that can fast-fire and harden a friendship quickly. Joe Manguno was an Asian Wall Street Journal reporter stationed in Seoul at the time, while his wife taught English as a Second Language teacher at Yonsei Womens University. Their two boys were about the same age as our boys, with Mark and Kent finding lots of ways to find mischief together. Both had very independent personalities that fed off of each other, which continued when they returned stateside, with three trips to Space Academy together, along with a few joint family vacations.

The Manguno's joined us for Kent's wedding in Las Vegas, and it was only natural that we make the road trip to Atlanta to join them for Mark's wedding. Joe and I took up exactly where we left off, though our geo-political discussion reframed itself around contemporary issues. He's still a wealth of perspective, never losing his journalistic curiosity nor his contacts in the industry. After the Journal, Joe worked for a Washington D.C. think tank for a couple of years, followed by several years at CNN International, then the Atlanta School District (in PR), and now with the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta. Joe is one of those people I could spend hours in conversation with over current affairs, primarily because he grounds all of his perspective in a keen sense of history. You can't really tell which end of the political spectrum he resides. He's a true old-school journalist, more interested in truth and fact than in sensationalism or style. Which is probably why he became disillusioned with the profession and escaped to PR work in mission-driven organizations.

Bonnie and Liz have a similar relationship. They are very much alike in their ability to engage folks through questions, never taking the spotlight, but always taking an interest in people and what they have to say. Both pioneer women, having followed their husbands into strange places in very different cultures. In addition to Korea, Liz and Joe lived in Jakarta, Indonesia, giving birth to their sons in Hong Kong and Jakarta respectively. That takes courage and independence.



I'm sure we'll find each other at the next wedding, or just visiting as retirement provides more opportunity for leisurely travel. As we do, we'll just find the bookmark in our conversation and continue on without missing a beat.