My own 'Stand By Me' friends

Thirty years ago, one of my all time favorite movies, "Stand By Me," was released. Back then; the movie elicited a lot of nostalgic feelings for me. Three decades later, it still gives me bittersweet reflections of my own lost youth.

A couple of weeks ago, I was on a visit to Seattle, Wash., to see family. On the last night of my visit, my son's in-law came by for dinner. Dan Dunlap, my son's father in-law, and I are very close in age. During the evening, we discovered that we both considered, "Stand By Me," to be one our favorite movies of all time.

A certain distant look came over Dan's face, as he told me of a similar group of friends, that he had as a boy. He related that so many of the scenes and storylines from the movie, were similar to the actions he and those same friends enjoyed.

I told him of my own group that so resembled the movie. We swapped stories for quite a time. We had only met each other a few times over the past decade, but as we collectively gazed back to our boyhood days together, we felt a kinship, that only boys of that time can understand.

As is often the case in my articles, when I give a "thumbs up," for a movie that I recommend, I am only going to give you a brief glimpse into the storyline. I prefer to "whet" your appetite for a good movie night, and I don't want to give away too much of the plot.

With that in mind, here are some basics from the cinema. The movie is based upon a book by the famous author, Stephen King, titled "The Body." Many of King's books and stories are very dark and scary, but this one is not. It is worth your time to read and watch the movie.

What Dan and I both found so compelling in the movie, was the closeness and freedom that the four boys in the story shared. We both recounted the names and events from our own childhoods that were so similar.

Whenever any guys from my generation talk about the past, we often agree, that those magical days in the 1950s and 1960s, were special times, the like of which may never be seen again. The world has changed in ways that simply don't allow for boys of that age group, to enjoy such freedoms.

One shared practice that Dan and I both remembered, that was just like in the movie, was "camping out." I am not talking about a supervised camping trip. Back in those days, we were often allowed to campout overnight, without any adults along for guidance.

I told Dan about a couple of friends I had as a boy, and of our summer campouts. My two friends were Randy Emery and Jim Leigh. Randy was the first friend I ever had. His parents and mine were close friends. I was born in February and he in May. We could never remember a time when we didn't know each other.

Jim lived only a block away from me, and all three of us went to Bryan Elementary School. We had a very large backyard at our home, and several times each summer the three of us would camp out all night there.

We had no tent or sleeping bags, only some blankets and pillows that our mother's had given us. Our campouts could only happen on warm summer nights, when the weather was conducive.

We were about age 12, just like the boys in the movie. Each of us had a secret fondness for girls, but that subject never came up during our endless conversations. These were our closets friends, but it would have been just too embarrassing to admit to them that we actually liked girls!

We often would sneak out during the night, to ride our bikes all over town. Unsupervised boys riding bikes around town late at night was not a big deal back then.

To display our lack of fear to each other, we often did something that would have gotten us in trouble, if we were caught. Fireworks and water balloons were commonly involved in these exploits.

When we finally settled down for the night, we would gaze at the multitude of stars. The space programs were in their infancy back then, and we loved to search the heavens to see if we could catch a glimpse of a satellite passing through the night sky.

When we awoke in the morning, our clothes and the blankets felt slightly damp from the overnight dew. We knew we were expected home, but we lingered a few moments. The bonds of friendship made parting seem so unfair.

We had affection and trust between us, that only boys of that age can know. They were more than just your best friends; they were like family.

Just as it was in the movie, one of my friends has been lost. Randy developed brain cancer about 25 years ago. I got to see him a few days before his passing.

He was having difficulty speaking and making his thoughts known, but something of the old friendship, seemed to still remain. When we looked into each other's eyes, I was certain that we both felt that same kinship that had been there for decades. Nothing had to be said. We both knew the outcome, but there was more joy that sadness in our connection that day.

Remembering those special, never to be forgotten friends of our youth, is a comfort, as we get older. When you look back, the everyday trials of life lessen their affect.

If you want to feel better, do the following. Rent the movie and take a trip back in time. Better yet, get in touch with those dear old friends, who always "stood by you!"