old friends become new friends

so today . . . i heard from an old friend, someone with whom i haven't been in contact since i was just out of college. i was so happy to hear from her!

when rollie went to seminary, we moved to kansas city, missouri--a LONG way from home. when we arrived, we found a place to live, unpacked our stuff, started looking for jobs, and rollie enrolled in school. it wasn't long before he was very, very busy with classes, homework, and his job as a school bus driver.

i was less busy. soon i had a great job working with nice people, but they were all a lot older than i was. i found i didn't have much in common with the other people in our apartment building either. and being shy, as i was, made it hard to make new friends.

but we did find a church full of friendly people. and we got to know a lot of seminary couples. if you know me very much at all, you know i wasn't fitting in really well with other "seminary wives." i was surrounded by people, but still felt alone.

then i met cyndy and judy. they were my salvation during those three years in kansas city. we didn't really have a lot in common--i was young (22) and they were older (29ish!), i was married and they were single, i was shy and quiet, and they were outgoing and friendly, i had a job and they had careers. but they were two of the most fun people i have ever been around! i'm not sure i could have become their friend if rollie hadn't helped me by also being a part of the group. he is a fun guy and he was kind of the bridge between their friendliness and wackiness and my shyness. i'm sure we had serious discussions, but what i remember most is the laughter--it seems like no matter what we did, they had fun and so did i.

when we left kansas city three years later, i was a different person. i was more confident, less fearful, more outspoken (but still shy.) and while some of that probably had to do with living so far away from home and getting three years older, i know that some of it had to do with my friends cyndy and judy. their friendship changed me, and played a part in making me who i am today--so yes, you guys, it's partly your fault!!

i am really excited that i've been able to reconnect with cyndy through the internet. (i love the internet!!) while i am sure her life hasn't all been fun (because no one's is) it sounds to me like she has met her challenges head on and blasted right through them. i knew there was something special about her back then, and it seems to me that her life shows that i was right! i think i am going to get to see her this summer, and i can hardly wait!

i have recently tried to reach two other old friends through email addresses i found. i am hoping i will hear back from them as well, because there is something unique about people who knew us at different times in our lives. the people who knew me in my 20's would find some surprises if they were to spend time with me today--i am not the same, and they wouldn't be the same either. but that is what makes it interesting . . .