What is time but a distance between two events?
For two people who live “across a pond” from each other, distance has never been an issue.
With sincere intentions to connect, two souls found a way to be connected with each other as the signs of the times swirled around them.
Geoff Banks from Devon, UK, and Celestra Byrne from Texas, USA found each other when they became pen pals.
And through all of the time they spent speaking through written words, the two now had the chance to meet.
Banks started writing to Byrne in 1938.
Back then, the UK and the USA embarked on an educational initiative where students from both nations exchanged letters.
The two hit it up pretty quickly. They became fast friends as they began to detail what was happening around them, how young people lived in their respective countries, and their experiences growing up in Devon and Texas.
Up until today, the two kept constantly in touch.
Just to give you an idea of how far their friendship transcended, Banks has lived through 15 presidents while Byrne lived through 20 prime ministers.
They first exchanged through scribbled letters but also witnessed the peak of the typewriter, the prototype computer, the age of the internet, and the era of the smartphone.
They lived in radio, and now the whole world is lit up by Technicolor screens where every picture, video, and music can be accessed through the palm of your hand.
The two also shared another milestone – they both lived to see a century.
The first time they met, they were already retired and are grandparents. Banks was in New York in 2002 when the duo met in the flesh for the first time.
As the times changed, so did their ways. From paper, they transitioned to emails. Then from emails, they changed into the “miracle” of video call.
The two were very fond of their friendship.
Banks shared that their conversations were a source of “great satisfaction” and that Byrne was a very interesting person.
And through the decades of sharing each other’s lives, people have been wondering if there was ever a time when the two became romantically involved.
Byrne quickly put the questions to rest by saying that they were just like two friends living next door to each other.
Byrne further imagined the two of them as neighbors who talk about anything and everything before going their separate ways for work.
With the times still changing, the two are adamant to keep their friendship going as long as they can.
Thanks to technology and family members who are willing to help them through every internet hiccup, the two can have more frequent conversations.
It’s amazing to see people stay friends through the distance and even more so through the years. It only goes to show that when you meet the right person, you’ll do whatever it takes to stay connected, even if it means getting to 100 together.
Watch how two centenarians managed to remain friends since 1938.
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