As I was cooking a pot roast, like my Momma does very couple Sundays I started thinking and that lead to this post.
It seems like as I grow older, or mature, whatever you want to call it, I realize more and more the daily blessings I am given and have been given throughout my life. Two of my riches blessings are family and friends. I have been surrounded by wonderful people my whole life. In fact I think I have done various blog posts about many of them, but yet I feel the need again to express gratitude. I feel like it doesn’t matter what I look like, if I have the trendiest clothes, cleanest house, or finished my latest craft, it doesn’t matter. What matters most is relationships. My family was and is always there for me no matter what and whether or not I realized I needed them. When I thought I didn’t need them (aka junior high and high school) I turned to wonderful friends. Luckily my friendships were rich and still to this day these girls bring me joy.
While I was cooking I was thinking about some old emails and photos I ran across this week. Some from when Dave left on his mission; others from high school and college days (yes, I still have LOTS of old emails, but now I am glad I kept them.) It was “the thing” to do, email. It kept us in touch when many of us were at different colleges or halfway around the world. Whether they were group emails or personal, we sent many. We could be ourselves, we shared silly college stories about our teachers, classmates, or boys. We shared our emotions and when an email couldn’t suffice, I remember MANY long conversations on my first, pink, cell phone.
It was a time in all of our lives when we were starting to make larger choices like degrees, careers, more serious relationships, and marriage. We had different opportunities and lived with different people, but yet I think our relationships always were a safety net, at least they were for me. I was always thankful that when I didn’t like going to sorority or missed Dave or didn’t want to work at the fruit stand any more that I had friends who knew me for me and cared about me. Even if we hadn’t talked for weeks we talked on the phone as if we had just hung out at one of our parent’s homes the day prior. They knew how to lift me up and I loved them for it.
Now, we have all moved on, most of us married, some even have 3 kids. Many of us have lived out of state, some since a year or two out of college. We have blogs, post on Facebook, still have our high school email address (among other ones acquired through work or marriage), and still have our first cell phone numbers. We have made new friends and I think most of us talk to our family members more now than ever before (interesting how it circles), but I still feel an attachment. I still wish we would email or talk on the phone more. But it seems like different stages of life call for different things. Talking on the phone isn’t the easiest when you have toddlers and babies begging for attention. Or, when quiet time at night begins and you think you might have a moment sometimes it’s nice to have peace or you need to FINALLY get to those dishes or bins of laundry or perhaps catch up with the busy working husband.
Today I don’t intend to send out guilty signals, I just want to send the message that I am grateful for many wonderful moments in my life where I needed that phone call or email and feel thankful to this day for those memories. Life as I know it will continue to change, and we will always be busy. in fact I am grateful to have things to be busy for.
Though I don’t see you girls or talk to you, I am thankful for the moments we shared. (okay I seriously didn’t mean to go there but that sentence took me back and now I’m singing, “Looking back on all we shared, the laughter and the tears… know throughout the years, we’ll still remember this…all the days, the ways we showed each other that we cared….”) You are and always will be a huge part of my life. I hope you know how amazing you all are. Again, as I mature I realize that these girls I felt like I really knew are continually growing and changing for the better. I love reading your blogs or Facebook posts and continuing to get to know YOU and all the talents you have. Thanks for being good examples to me. Love and miss you!
