Days Gone By

I am going to be honest here and say that I have not had the best track record for keeping up with old friends. I could chalk it up to having moved a lot when I was younger, but really that is probably just an excuse to make me feel better.

With the advent of Facebook, I have been able to reconnect with friends from my childhood and keep up with high school and college friends. I suppose the truth of the matter is that I have allowed myself to get too busy with life. While I can't spend all of my time following up with old friends, I should probably make a better effort to touch base more frequently. The older I get, the more I realize the importance of friendships.

A few years ago, I reconnected with a best friend from high school. We met in the seventh grade and our friendship was instrumental in shaping us into the adults we would become. After high school graduation, we parted ways. She went off to pursue her dream of becoming a doctor and I just floated along and let my life happen to me.

Through college, we drifted apart. Then I got married and she went to med school and our connection was further severed. When I found out she would be moving to Nashville to do her residency at Vanderbilt, I was ecstatic since my husband's family lives in the area. Since she has been in Nashville, we have managed to reconnect and squeeze in visits here and there when Daniel and I pass through.

When she called to tell me she was engaged and wanted me to be a part of her wedding, I was truly thrilled. We met her fiance and reminisced about days gone by. To be truthful, there would be days {at home in Charlotte, NC} that I would go on and on telling Daniel about all of our escapades together. The trouble we caused, the fun we had, the study sessions, the trips. Almost two decades later, the memories are still fresh.

This past weekend we traveled to Searcy, Arkansas to be a part of her big day. Her wedding was so beautiful. Exactly what I would imagine it to be. This beautiful, strong woman, from days gone by, has taken the plunge into marriage. And I am so very happy for her. I wish her many, many years to come. I wish her success in marriage. And most of all, I wish her and her new husband happiness, even when life doesn't work out exactly as planned.