It's True What They Say

It's true what they say about time and old friends. It doesn't matter what the length of time between visits or contact, once you step back into one another's lives it's as if no time at all has passed.

I saw that when I was growing up between my mother and some of her nursing school friends, her friend Catherine in particular. Mom had three kids to raise. Catherine had between seven and nine kids. Mom would call her once in awhile and go to visit her or Catherine would find an afternoon to visit Mom. Otherwise it was an exchange of Christmas cards annually. But those times when they managed to get together, they talked and laughed and it was like they'd never been apart raising their families.

This has happened between me and other friends, Carol in particular. There was a time when she lived in New York state, and then out in California. When she moved back east we both had daughters but saw one another again and it was like she'd never been anywhere but close by.

My old friend Patti visited me today after finding me on facebook this past weekend. Way back when fate, destiny, a high power, whatever it was, threw us together. She's the one who bought me the home pregnancy test and gave it to me to take home and use in the morning when she suspected I was pregnant with Kelly. She's the one who stayed with me and John for as long as she could when I was in labor. I ended up having to have surgery and she had to leave before Kelly's arrival at 2:47AM on June 26th, but she came to see her later on. We went through a lot together and had some fun times, some rough times, some good times...but somehow with her raising her son and me raising Kelly in different states we drifted apart for awhile, too busy with family stuff and health issues and whatnot. She was striving toward completing her college education also.

Now the time has come when we're done raising our kids and we have time for friends again. I was so happy to see her walk through my kitchen door again today. We hugged, we sat at the kitchen table and we talked and talked for nearly two hours straight. I know her family, she knows mine. We both have some new acquaintances but today the focus was on plugging back into one another's lives and celebrating our friendship and its endurance through the years. It was a wonderful visit.

And tonight we texted back and forth, reminiscing some more and laughing together, reaffirming the bond we share, and promising not to let another seven years go by before we see one another again. My kitchen door is always open to her and I know if I go to her home I can walk right in and be just as welcome.

And we had cat stories to swap as well!

I went to work this afternoon with a smile on my face and a happy heart!