#Friends- Reconnecting

Yesterday, I wrote about the loss of a beloved pet, and the empty feeling that comes with it.  Today, I want to write about something that helps to fill me up with happiness, pleasure, and peace.

Reconnecting with an old friend.

One of the nice things about Facebook is the fact that you can find and reconnect with people you used to know.  Several of the people I went to High School with are on my Friends List.

One in particular makes me smile.  Out of the blue, she suggested that we start writing each other.  Via snail mail.  Yes- snail mail.  When I get the chance, I do enjoy the act of physically putting my thoughts on paper, so I agreed immediately.  That was the first step in discovering the pleasure of redisovering a friendship.

I look forward to each letter she sends, and I'm sure she looks forward to mine in return.

My friend (Loralee), recently called me on the phone, and we talked for about an hour and a half about things that have gone on in our Lives, some of the obstacles we've had to face (internal and external) in order to get to the places where we are.  We had a really good conversation, and I'm looking forward to more of them.

This reconnection is especially satisfying for me, because back in High School, I really didn't have friends (other than Jay and a couple of others).  I was dealing with the death of my mother, and went out of my way to keep people at an emotional distance.  I didn't want people to get close to me because I didn't want to risk losing them down the road.

Now, however, I'm willing to to share my Life with more people, and call them "friends."  And I'm glad that Loralee is one of the ones from High School who WANTS to reconnect and get to know the person that I am now.  She was a wonderful girl in High School- socially, ecologically, and politically aware; funny, and cute.  Now, she's grown into a wonderful woman who is still socially, ecologically, and politically aware; funny; and beautiful.  Despite the ups and downs that she's dealt with over the past several years, she's able to remain positive, and hopeful for the future.  The sort of person I've become, and the sort of person that I want in my Life as a close friend.

In a world where we can lose loved ones at a moment's notice, we can also find friendships that can grow and deepen and enrich our lives.  Life is all about Balance.  Loss is balanced by gain... and as sad as Charlie's passing has made me, I'm also filled with gladness for gaining Loralee as a close friend.