The subject of friendships has been on my mind lately. As I look back, I realize how lucky I am to have the people in my life that I do...whether they are still in my life or have moved on, everyone has touched me and helped to shape who I am.
My friendships from childhood are filled with laughter, fun, birthday parties and school drama. Most of these people have moved on, but I still have contact with some. One friend always calls when he is in town visiting his family. We get together and have dinner, talk about the past, catch up on people we still talk to and enjoy each others company. A couple others have made contact through facebook and being able to see them and catch up on what has happened in their lives is wonderful. We talk about our kids, our jobs, our homelife, the past, the future. It is so interesting to me to see the changes from how we were in elementary school to now. And also how we are so similar to those kids hiding behind the big hill at school.
Once we moved up to Junior Secondary, the classes got bigger from the other schools that fed into the one. Everyone tended to hang with people of like interests rather than grade group. Drama kids and band kids. The ones that joined all the sports teams and then there were the academics. I was in band, but I mostly just floated through the different groups...I liked meeting people of all different interests. Mostly because I didn't really specialize in one area, so why limit myself? There were so many people to meet and I am happy to say that I still have contact with some. In fact, there were 7 of us that met up a couple weeks ago for dinner and laughs. We are in so many different stages of our lives. One has a son ready to graduate, one is trying to get pregnant. A couple of us are divorced, a couple married, one widowed and some still looking for the right one. Of that group of 7, there is one friend that I made in my homeroom class in grade 8 that is still a big part of my life today. We have had times of little contact, and times we lived in each others pockets. My kids call her Auntie, and she is godmother to my youngest. I cherish her friendship as I know it will always be there no matter what happens.
Another school change brought about more changes in the people we chose to call friends. When we moved up to the Senior Secondary school, all the other Junior Secondary schools in the district fed into it...so we went from a class of just over 100 to over 800 kids. Quite overwhelming! I remember walking into my first class and hoping that there would be someone in it that I knew....and there wasn't. Time to branch out and make some new friends. I have friendships from the 2 years spent in that school that still mean so much to me. People that I have totally lost contact with, but still think of and wonder how they are and what is happening in their lives. Boyfriends that are now married with children, girlfriends that have left to travel the world. Friends that have gone out and done just what they were meant to do with their lives and some that have passed on. I send my love, and wish them all a very happy life.
The friendships that I have made once out of high school are varied and interesting. I have met people through work, church, guiding, neighbours and through other friends. Each person brings something into my life that I cherish...laughter, wisdom, tears, the ability to call me a dumbass when needed. They were there to celebrate at my wedding, help with my babies, support me through my divorce, to cheer with me for my kids accomplishments, to go camping with, shopping with, have a tea with, kick my butt and make me go for a walk. Age doesn't seem to matter as much as it did in school and it shows in the people that I have in my life that I call friend.
Friendships are important to everyone. I am lucky to have met many different people that bring many different views and opinions to the table. I learn from all that I meet and hope that I can offer the same to others.
To everyone that I have had the privilege to call friend, Thank you.
