I have had many friends come in and out of my life. I have lost many close family members and relatives. Although I miss those close relationships I have learned to appreciate the experiences I had and to accept that relationships are not static; life is not static. I do not usually consider an inactive friendship a failure. The experiences we shared together had meaning, purpose and impacted my life.
When I turned forty I felt compelled to do some retracing. I looked up some past friends and acquaintances (mostly on Facebook). I had an opportunity to meet up with a few of my closest friends from my schooldays (middle and high school). I was amazed at how awesome these women are (still) and how much some of their best qualities, that I remember from when we were young, were still prominent.
A couple weeks ago I had an opportunity to vacation in Utah where one of my closest friends from middle school was now living. We met at a local zoo and spent the day getting to know each others spouses and children. I was so very pleased to see us, and our families, coming together almost seamlessly. In no time I was feeling a delightful sense of closeness to her and to her family. It became clear that our friendship had survived over 25 years of inattention. Once again, some people are suppose to be in our lives!
