Reunited and It Feels So Good...

Recently, I was surfing the net when I came across the website of an old friend from my middle and high school years. We didn’t go to school together, instead meeting in the church I attended with a neighboring family. We were pretty close back in the day, but I stopped attending services and shortly after, she got married. It had been 6 years since I saw or spoke to her last and, obviously, many things had changed, but talking to her sorta felt like coming home. I had missed her very much, but time had faded that feeling and talking to her brought it all rushing back.

Lucky for me, this isn’t the first time that I’ve been able to reconnect with a loved one that I believed was lost to me. Many moons ago, one of my bestest and oldest friends and I weren’t very close. We had been the greatest of buddies for so many years and then things changed. Growing up, outside relationships and immature emotions tore a hole in our friendship that I was afraid would never mend. However, God does smile on us humans, because a couple of years after our parting, we met again and the old spark of familiarity and bonding flared brighter than ever. After a few months and more than a few deep conversations, our relationship flourished. Now, it’s a rare day that I don’t count on this girlfriend to help me cope with life, love and family. My friendship with this particular woman is something that I am extremely proud of and have no intention of letting wane again. Kat, you are the voice of reason in this otherwise chaotic world and I don’t know what I’d do without you. I will make sure that nothing ever comes between us again. Love ya, girl.

It was just a year ago that another group of girls also came into my life after playing a smaller role many eons earlier. We attended high school together, but that was the extent of our knowledge of each other. Then, fates intervened and brought us all together again on an alumni website and we forged a friendship that I pray will last the rest of my natural life. This bunch of wild women is my support, encouragement and inspiration. In high school, we could not have been more different and most likely would not have hung out, even if given a chance. As adults, we’ve learned to appreciate the unique qualities in each other and it has brought us closer than we ever would have been if we’d met back then. It seems as though God knew we weren’t ready and He held us apart until the time was right. Liz, Casey, Hilary, and Stef, y’all are some of my closest friends that I know I can share anything with. Thank you for never judging and standing by me during the times that I’ve needed you most. I heart you.

Naturally, I don’t have the corner market on reunions. There have been some that, while I was not directly involved, have affected my life in a tremendous way. My parents had one such reunion. After 23 year of togetherness, my parents adruptly separated and divorced in 1999. I tried to act like it didn’t bother me, but the truth was it rocked my very world. I was one of the few whose parents had stayed married even AFTER the last kid made it through schooling. Up to the day they parted ways, they had been a hand holding, booty grabbing affectionate couple that this was NOT supposed to happen to. Fast forward 5 years. My mother and father are standing in a gazebo in a park, and a preacher is in front of them. They were remarried almost a year before Daddy’s passing. I could never believe how fortunate I was to be one of those kids whose parents really did reconcile. So many dream about it, but so few are that lucky. I have never been as grateful for anything as I am that my last memory of my Daddy was with my Momma.

You would think that with the inventions of the telephone and computer, remaining in touch with others wouldn’t be difficult. Yet everyday, people allow good relationships to grow stale until they eventually fade away into nothing. Work, hobbies, and daily routines become more important than connecting with those you love. It’s such a waste when we all could use a friend. Keeping the communication lines open is something I strive for and that will not change, no matter how much time has gone by.

There’s a Girl Scout camp song that goes, “Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the other gold.” It’s never been summed up better, so I won’t try.