Growing up I had a best friend who I did everything with. Our younger days were filled with carpool giggles, sleepless sleepovers, camp adventures and family trips. We did pretty much everything together. I look through photo albums and her face is spotted throughout. We were lucky to attend the same school pre-k through high school. I chose to stay in-state for college while she traveled out of state to the west coast. We kept in touch and saw each other over the holidays, but as time moved on we began to drift apart as most childhood friendships tend to do especially when spread across the country. After college she moved to the east coast while I stayed put, got married and started a family. Sometimes it's hard to stay connected when we are in different phases of our lives. She married and started her family and continued to live on the east coast. I would see her maybe once a year when she would come home to visit, but our friendship was really more based on the past then on the present.
Fast forward to now. My dearest childhood friend moved home with her husband and children! I was excited, nervous, anxious, thrilled all at the same time and I'm sure she was feeling the same about moving to a place where she had 18 years of history, but that was over 19 years ago. Would we be able to pick back up where we left off? I'm so happy that we have and even more exciting is that our kids are now growing up together. It's a second generation friendship and watching it grow just fills my heart and reminds me of the bond that we shared for our childhood years. We have come full circle and our reconnection has created a new connection between our daughters (pictured above) and we both look forward to carpool giggles, sleepless sleepovers, adventures at camp and family trips. Hopefully they don't try to pull the same stunts that we did on our parents!
“We'll be Friends Forever, won't we, Pooh?' asked Piglet.
Even longer,' Pooh answered.”
Even longer,' Pooh answered.”
~A.A. Milne
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10 comments:
What a sweet story. Living hours away from both my family, and my best friend of over 30 years,it always makes me happy when I hear a story like yours. You are blessed to have that re-connection, and to be able to see your daughter's friendship blossom.
OOH Ms Leigh, what a heart warming story! Just last night I got a voice message from my long time friend saying she had run into a mutual "boyfriend" from years ago and that I would be the ONLY person that she could share this call with. Some connections never die even though miles separate us.
I love your photos they are sincerely touching. You tell such great stories with your images.
Im so happy for all of you. OOOOh the stories huh? And BTW... you will deserve their pranks, because I am sure your mom always said "I hope your kids do the same thing to you!" ... moms just say that. :)It's in our DNA
Wonderful post.
Hugs
C
What sweet photos and an even sweeter story! So lovely for you and your friend to re-connect and for your daughters to pick up the gauntlet of friendship and carry it on. I feel so blessed (as I'm sure your parents do!) that my daughter chose to make her home in our hometown. My granddaughter has just started school at the same elementary school her mother attended, we still belong to the same church, my daughter started a new job today at the college in town where she graduated and where I worked for almost 30 years. Connections ... or maybe it's traditions. But I love it!!!
Thanks for a lovely look into your life!
:-D
What a lovely story and a true friendship can withstand distance because of a shared history.....
Oh Leigh, I just loved reading this. I am definitely in love with tradition more than change. I recently connected with some old friends . As I hear the stories, I am continually aware of the many directions life takes us.
My daughter recently said to me that she plants to have a HUGE wedding someday, because FB has allowed her to keep in touch with everyone since 5th grade! We certainly grew up in a different world . They don't have the lost connections , or at least not for the sAme reasons, but they don't have the surprise reunions either. And, about that HUGE wedding ........ Good luck with that! Lol!
That is just too wonderful - I wish I could say that I have one of those - I cannot. I moved away from my best friend when I was 9 and I was quite shy when I was younger and really never made that same great connection with any one person. And when my husband and I moved 1200 miles away in the first year of our marriage from all of our family, and it's just harder to make those connections when you're older. And, as murphy's law would have it, you find one and then they move - as you know!!
It's got to be so cool to see both of your daughters make that connections too! (insert heart here) Thanks for sharing this!
Such a wonderful story, Leigh! Just love the shots of the newest generation of best friends! Even though I live in the same town where I've lived since 8th grade, I have lost touch with everybody I went to school with. When my kids were growing up, my best friends were the parents of their friends, but I rarely see any of them now that they are all grown up. A long-time friend who knows you well is such a treasure and I'm so happy for you that you not only reconnected with her but that your girls are now enjoying their own connection. Thanks for sharing this.
I loved your story...happy, happy that you have reunited on a more permanent basis with your childhood friend and how cool is that that your daughters are now sharing that same bond. Love it!!
Oh, leigh....what a wonderful story! How cool that you have been able to reconnect with your childhood friend! And that shot of the girls is precious. You have a gift for photo story telling....love it!
Thanks you Viv! It really feels good to have rekindled the friendship.
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