stranger friends

I've been searching through old photos. I want to put up a few on my celebration - my daughter suggested doing a whole timeline, and I did ponder finding pics so that every guest appeared at some point - but that is all far too big an undertaking. So I'm just finding a few. And it turns out I'm not actually on many of my photos. But what a joy to suddenly come across a picture that has two people I love on it. Only when I took that picture, I only knew one of the people - it was still to be a few years before I'd "meet" the other and his wonderful family.
I'm still blown away by this - maybe we are on some of their old photos too? I just love that it pays homage to the supposedly cheesy "a stranger is just a friend you've yet to meet".
I'm off mega early tomorrow morning to Cumbria. I shall take my photos happily, regarding everyone in the frame as a pal in the making. And leave you with a poem (yes, me sharing a poem!)

THE UNKNOWN FRIENDS 
By Edgar A. Guest 
From: The Path to Home, 1919 

We cannot count our friends, nor say 
How many praise us day by day. 
Each one of us has friends that he 
Has yet to meet and really know, 
Who guard him, wheresoe'er they be, 
From harm and slander's cruel blow, 
They help to light our path with cheer, 
Although they pass as strangers here 
These friends, unseen, unheard, unknown, 
Our lasting gratitude should own. 
They serve us in a thousand ways 
Where we perhaps should friendless be; 
They tell our worth and speak our praise 
And for their service ask no fee; 
They choose to be our friends, although 
We have not learned to call them so. 
We cannot guess how large the debt 
We owe to friends we have not met. 
We only know, from day to day, 
That we discover here and there 
How one has tried to smooth our way, 
And ease our heavy load of care, 
Then passed along and left behind 
His friendly gift for us to find.