I'm sitting here just awash in feelings and thoughts from many years ago. Facebook has been such a neat tool that has helped me connect with friends from the past and over the last month or so I have daily "found" people from my past that I have missed.
Today, I sat across the table from Paul & Marianne Sanders; some of my very best friends from Bethany College. Marianne and I studied music and Paul lived across the hall from me. They're both such neat, genuine, loving people and, over the years, my heart has longed to know where they ended up. Facebook helped me find them, less than 30 minutes away from me...they've been there for over three years and I've been looking off-and-on for about three years. We talked about our families and the lives we have lived since we last talked...likely back in 1987 when I graduated from college. This lunch was such a sweet gift to me and I cherish the sharing we did over Mexican food!
Yesterday, I had lunch for the second time with Connie Miller, another person from my past. She and I (and the kids) had lunch last week, too. With the kids at their mom's house until tomorrow, Connie and I met to talk again, just the two of us. Connie is confident and well-spoken and so, so loving...it is a joy to sit with her and share our lives again. She and I probably haven't really communicated since 1993; both of our lives have taken some twists and turns in these 15 years, yet the conversation is so easy and free between us.
I really don't know why I have begun this quest to connect again with the people from my past...my present has some really cool people in it already. What I know is that my heart needs to be assured that those old friendships haven't died, they've just been placed on "pause."
My life is full and there are many things I should probably be doing right now, getting ready for a new school year...what AM I doing? Messing around on Facebook to see if there are other people I can locate...my iTunes is set to old music and my heart is set to old friendships. The common descriptor there is obviously OLD which, I realize is beginning to describe me.
Oh, but my heart is happy & young & free & full and I am so thankful for the memories that have flown through all these years to season my present. What in the world did we ever do before we had computers and the internet?
Maserati Gran Turismo
12 years ago
3 comments:
I am so happy that you are connecting with old friends. I am also happy to call myself one of your new friends!
Peace,
Leslie
Two things remind me that we are all getting older:
A coworker in his 20s was shocked that I typed my term papers on a manual typewriter in college.
I bought reading glasses yesterday.
Next stop AARP.
Hi and um, WOW it is great to hear from you!
In answer to your question (what did we do before the 'net...) I certainly wouldn't be leaving a comment on your beautifully written post. Thank you for the wonderful words I very much enjoyed reading today.
I think as we get more mature we learn to place value on lasting things as opposed to the more immediate aspects of life. Because that everyday stuff is rarely significant in the long term. I only wish it hadn't taken me 41 years to figure that out.
My life in a nutshell: I am more content that I ever thought possible. It was a long, hard, beautiful, ugly, revealing journey but I am solidly here, in the moment, and very grateful.
PS Man you look good - you must be taking your vitamins! :-)
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