The care and keeping of friends...

Last night we had a mini-reunion. The Churchill elementary/MS middle/MSH school friends and their mothers (who finally figured it out by the Bon Voyage dance in 8th grade).

These girls have been through so much together and created so many memories. In the same breath they have begun to live their lives without each other, each of them filling up their life stories with their own chapters of adventure and experience. I was pretty naive to think they would stay in the same book forever but I'm so delighted when they can remain characters in each others tales. I was lucky enough to gain wonderful friends in Jan and Julee through our daughters.

I had so many questions last night after we all parted ways...all of them related to how we make decisions, take chances, follow our hearts, live a life with meaning, who takes chances, who plays it safe, who gets the "gifts" along the way, where are the guarantees (I guess I knew the answer to that one), and how do you pick a path in life. What weakens friendships and what keeps some strong for life. Geez, I thought it was "happy hour".

Aside from the fashion shows, the shopping, the closed doors, the chocolate chip cookies, the Spice Girls (when they were around the first time) and the sleepovers, I think they all provided such comforting support nets to each other through the years. Most recently I remember the profound gratitude I felt toward Ashley when she turned around enroute to a cottage with no hesitation to support Meghan after Dad died. Their limbs were indistinguishable on the couch, the piles of Kleenex almost equal. That moment defined their friendship for me.

On a lighter note, I love the irony of the times Melissa would come over, discreetly heading up to Meghan's room. From behind the closed doors, I could just make out the strains of music as Melissa slowly came around to the idea that she was given a gift. She shared her guitar and voice in bits and pieces with those she trusted most and now she shares it around the globe. How very cool is that? She leaves this week with her sister and another friend for Africa for a month to comfort babies in an orphange in a country of upheaval and chaos. Please keep her in your thoughts.

A bonus to the evening was a visit with Laura Ashley's younger sister, who is already finding her place "out there". She's a future Young American who will make a huge impact on the stage-a place where she feels almost as at home as she does on Shady Creek. Stay tuned. She's devout and insightful. She has always had laser precision in analyzing a situation. She's gonna be just fine even across the country in California. Honest, Jan.

The girls have drifted apart geographically and emotionally, sometimes even when sharing an apartment or a city street, but during those moments where we step back in time and settle into a living room to talk non-stop for a few hours, they are back.

Their circles are wider now, many new and wonderful friends are filling voids and making memories, but there is something special about those first sweet friendships and the ones that knew you when....