A Cold Dreary Day, Warmed By the Comfort of Old Friends..

Okay, so my blogs have not been very uplifting lately. I've had a very long string of days that are just plain crappy or crappier. And the cold, dreary weather doesn't help a whole lot! I thought I'd lighten things up with some good news for a change. :)

Over Thanksgiving weekend,  I planned just one visit--with my friend Caroline from high school. This time around she was going to bring her two little girls over for me to meet them. Unfortunately, after a quiet Thanksgiving day, I spent all night up with low blood pressure. So, I ended up having to cancel my visit with Caroline. Next time, my friend, next time, I WILL get to see you and your girls!

On Saturday night, I got a surprise phone call from another high school friend, Jamie. Recently Jamie and I reconnected through Facebook (Oh, how I love Facebook! :)). Jamie called on our land line, and we laughed about how embedded the old phone numbers are in our minds. I still remember hers from when we were growing up, and can recite the phone numbers of most of the close friends I had. She said, "I'm in town!" 

So, Jamie came over on Sunday afternoon.  Jeannine joined us. And we had a most wonderful visit. It was a great holiday surprise. I don't think I have seen Jamie for possibly 6 or more years. Neither of us can remember when the last time was that we saw each other, but it's been a very long time. 

I love seeing old friends. I love reconnecting after so many years. I love seeing friends doing well, happy, and comfortable in their own skin. It's beautiful and fun to see how we've all changed, and how we've also stayed the same. It's beautiful to see that friends I met at such a young age have turned into strong women. 

When I reflect back on the eight of us from high school--a group that started forming for me in elementary school--I'm amazed at the strong women we all are. We're all really strong, really liberal, really similar in our core belief system about human beings. I just find that sort of amazing--b/c you know I wasn't looking for other women who were gonna be a democrat or some such thing when I met my friend, Angela, in 4Th grade!! It's just neat to look at to me. And it makes me feel lucky to have found, in this teeny tiny town, a group of girls who would turn out to be such great women. 

Interestingly, too, most of us have a really big interest in health stuff---Jamie and Angela have an MPH, Kate has an MSW, Jeannine is immersed in health care--both working at a hospital and being a full-time caregiver for her mom, I always wanted to go into some area of health stuff, Deb is a PT, Jill--while she doesn't take care of people--is a vet, and Jess knows all sorts of medical stuff from her own experiences.  I would love to have us all in a room bitching about the health care system. It would be pretty funny!  

On this Sunday afternoon at my house, three of 'the eight of us', had our little chats about Obama, spirituality, Jamie's yoga training, and a bit of gossip added in. For Jeannine and I, it was a couple of hours that reminded us of better times, and the bonds of friendships--even after years of being out of touch.

Thank you Jamie, for the wonderful visit! I have had a wonderful time in the last couple of years catching up with 'the eight of us.'  You all know where I live, and how to help yourself to items in the refrigerator and pantry. So come on over, make yourselves at home. You are always welcome here.

I am looking forward to visits with Sarah and Angela over the winter holiday...and we'll see if anyone else is in town. 

Blessings,

Emily

P.S. Shouldn't Google spellcheck know what Facebook is?! 

Photos:  Jamie, Jeannine and I the Sunday after Thanksgiving.