It's amazing how many people come in and out of your life. I spent some time recently trying to locate a couple of people who were at one time a big part of my life. This made me think even deeper of friends lost... not due to an argument or falling out, but just due to lack of keeping in touch. When I was in elementary school, my friends were Debbie Rudenski, Laura Locke and Kim Colletta. Laura and I have reconnected through Facebook. Debbie works at GE and my husband sees her occasionally, and the usual pleasantries are mentioned, but we still haven't reconnected. I have recently found someone who is related to, or knows someone who married one of Kim's relatives.. and they gave me her phone number, which I can't locate. So, now I have to figure that puzzle out again, then get up the courage to just make the call and say "Hi, remember me?".. I remember that Debbie and Kim and I were the "bickering threesome" usually. It was always two against one and how MEAN we were to each other! The two would switch off and one of us was always on the wrong side. It wasn't fun when I was the one and the two of them were against me! Hurtful children! I sure hope today that we could all three get along without the backstabbing!
When I was in 5th grade, my Dad's job was transferred to Muncy, Pennsylvania for one year. The joke was that my mom had to serve a year in Muncy Womens prison, but that was just a joke. She did though, work in a bra factory in Muncy, which was new to all of us as our mother never worked outside of the house prior to or after that. In Muncy, I met a girl named Nancy Wall and we were inseparable for that whole year. We played school with stuffed animals and we were the teachers and all of the animals were our students. We made up tests and homework papers and played for hours doing this. I think it's odd that neither of us became teachers. I maintained contact with Nancy all through high school and we would visit each other in the summers, either I would go there, or she would come up to Erie. After I got married and had my first child, I lost contact with Nancy. Life consumed most of my time and she disappeared for awhile.
I remember thinking about Nancy alot and several times tried to write a letter to her last address, but it was returned. I think we lost contact for maybe 6 or 7 years. But one day I decided to call her mom's phone number to see if was still in service and see if her mom could give me an address. Lo and behold the phone rang and Nancy answered! She was at her mom's recovering from the birth of her twins. So, in the time that we missed, I had 4 children (one set of twins) and she had 5 children (one set of twins) amazing! Nancy and I still keep in contact with each other and I have seen her twice since we started our families, but thankfully for Facebook, we follow along each other's lives. Still wondering why neither of us became a teacher.
Recently my class had it's 40th reunion. That will be a post n itself, but I feel the need to mention it as there were alot of people there that came in and out of my life at one time or another.
Facebook has been an excellent catalyst for finding old friends. I found one of my best friends from when I lived in California on Facebook. Pam Purcell lived in the apartment complex that I lived in and we had children the same age. Her son Michael and my son James played together. They both had Star Wars action figures that they would play with. Her son Matthew once "ran away from home" and came to my house... He was my buddy. Finding Pam again brought back a flood of memories and seeing pictures of Michael and Matt all grown up with kids of their own, brought tears to my eyes..
I also found my next door neighbor when I lived in Harborcreek. Bonnie and I became very good friends, best friends and after about 20some years, we recently had lunch and talked for a few hours.. we could have talked for 3 weeks I think. We have vowed to keep in contact and so far we are burning up the smart phones texting each other.
I just find it interesting how relationships have gone full circle. I lost myself when my children were growing up because they became the most imortant thing and the focus of my life. Then when they are all grown and gone, I started to miss all of those people I left behind. I'm very thankful that the ones I have found did not hold it against me. We picked up where we left off but a little more reserved. But I'm still so glad to have them in my life again!
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