"Friends are friends forever..."

Back when I was in high school, I remember at graduation our choir singing "Friends", a song written and recorded by Michael W. Smith. It was a perfect graduation song...in that it talks about "a chapter in your life is through", etc. We were all teary-eyed because our carefree days of high school were over, our friends that we hung out with on an almost daily basis would be scattering to various colleges, and we weren't sure when or if we would ever see them again. Still we held on tight to the chorus that says, "...friends are friends forever, if the Lord's the lord of them...and a friend will not say never, for the welcome will not end. Though it's hard to let you go, in the Father's hands we know that a lifetime's not too long to live as friends".

(Yeah, it's a Contemporary Christian song...and if we were graduating now instead of 20+ years ago, we probably wouldn't have been allowed to sing it, since we attended a public high school that has since banished any/all things remotely considered "religious"...but that's a rant for another time.)

Sure enough...our friends scattered like the seeds of a dandelion in the breeze. Some ended up in different states, some in different countries. Our once large circle of pals shrunk down to a small handful that we were lucky enough to stay in touch with. I had only two constants from my high school days: Amy & Heather.

Amy & I have been friends since the 5th grade. In high school, our paths crossed in & out via drama club, but for the most part, we hung out with different people. After graduating, we both attended college, took an occasional gen-ed class together, skipped class in favor of french toast for breakfast in the cafeteria, skipped another class in favor for a road trip to a bookstore, worked together on campus, and even carpooled together on occasion. After college, we stayed in touch. Even today, we still get together as often as we can, at least once every month or two, and we talk almost daily via email. We share an obsession with books, Peter Gabriel (we've been to 4 concerts of his together), and greek food.

Heather & I have been friends since I was a sophomore in high school & she was a year behind me as a freshman. We were both very active in drama club & hung out with the same crowd for the most part. I graduated from high school & went to college...she graduated the following year and started working for a law firm where a cousin of mine worked. She was my birthing coach when I had my daughter, I was there for her during her mother's illness and passing, we were honor attendants at each others weddings, I'm "Aunt Amy" to her kids, and she's "Aunt Heather" to my daughter. Today we are as close, if not closer, than ever. We talk on the phone several times a week, get together as much as humanly possible, and email or text message often. She knows me better than anyone on the planet.

These two women are incredibly important to me. I love them both dearly & I thank God often that they're in my life. But...over the years, I've missed my old friends from high school and college. The ones that slipped away. We didn't have email or text messages when we were graduating. It's so much easier for kids today to keep in touch.

Then...Facebook happened.

At first...Facebook confused the life out of me. I heard about how amazing it was from a couple "younger" folks who were in college. Since I was back in college again, I joined...and had 2 friends...one of which was my daughter. I didn't understand it at all. A few years later, Facebook evolved & I went back to it...and found a friend I hadn't talked to in years! I was thrilled! Then, I found another friend. And another! And another! Now I have gotten back in touch with the majority of people whom I was friends with both in high school and in college. Seeing their pictures 20 years after high school is strange. Some have graying hair, many are married and have children, and some are divorced. One is a doctor, one is an Anglican priest, another drives racecars. They've all taken different roads after graduating from high school all those years ago...and all of their roads have converged once again on Facebook.

A couple weeks ago, I ran into a friend of mine whom I was reconnected with via Facebook. We hugged, started chatting...and it was like time hadn't passed. That friendship and love was still there and still strong.

So I guess it wasn't just a silly sentiment we sang at graduation. Friends really can be friends forever!

"Those truly linked don't need correspondence. When they meet again after many years apart, their friendship is as true as ever." ~ Deng Ming-Dao