Knowing When You've Made Friends

14 Jun '07 - Providence City Hall

Last night, my best friend and business partner, Fran Paliotta, took part in a Gallery Reception at City Hall in Providence. She was invited to hang two prints in the second floor atrium there by her high school classmate and friend, Rob Buco. This was a very important night for them both and even though Fran viewed it more as helping her friend, I viewed it as a night to get some outside interest going in her work as a photographer.

After almost thirty years of friendship, I'm not afraid to say that I am heartily proud of my best friend - the one friend in my life who has always been there for me through everything - good, bad or indifferent. She worked very hard to get through her photography schooling and even had a brush with death at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital during a bout of pneumonia. I know how hard she worked for this and I know that she deserves to have her work out there, so that Gallery Reception was more important to me than I could possibly put into words.

I let my friends from the PFD know about it and although I knew that many would be there in spirit, I really didn't expect them to be able to show up. Especially considering the frequency of callbacks and such. It's the nature of the job. However...

Five members of the Department visited us and I received notes from many more wishing us well and asking how it went. As busy as these guys are, they took time out to show that they are truly there for not only me, but Fran, as well.

A truly loyal group, to say the least - and it only proves that I've been right all along... I've made some fantastic friends getting into this project.

That, in and of itself, makes the work all worth while.