Here I am sitting on another Friday facing a jam-packed weekend and I haven't even mentioned the last one yet! How did Friday sneak up on me like this? Has it really been a week since I helped surprise Lexie for her 50th birthday? (She's the one in the blue birthday sash.)
I didn't actually know Lexie in high school - the youngest of my '77 classmates crossed over to the new decade months ago, but through Facebook I've gotten to know a few "youngsters" who graduated after me. Let the 50th birthday parties roll on!
Friendship is often compared to a garden and rightly so. These new friendships are sprouting from seeds planted unknowingly years ago - through old boyfriends, older siblings, dusty memories - and nurtured by contact on Facebook.
In Lexie's case, I worked with her sister Ellen at DuPont ages ago. I remember Ellen bragging about her little sister and being surprised that I didn't know her. When Lexie's name popped up on someone's Facebook page, I recognized it right away and sent her a message asking about Ellen. Next thing you know, I had not only reconnected with Ellen, but developed a friendship with Lexie as well.
Still, I was glad I arrived at the party with my friend Shari (we became connected through my old boyfriend - her husband!) These were her classmates and it was dawning on me I had never met many of them face-to-face; our high school was split between two campuses, so the two years difference between us meant we never attended school in the same building. I only knew them by their tiny little Facebook profile pictures.
Within minutes, any nervousness I felt was gone. My garden grew immensely that night.
The other treasure of last weekend - getting to spend time with my parents, siblings, niece and all three of my kids. My oldest drove in from Dallas so he could see everyone in one visit (except for Tom - he begged off... too many cars to work on and too many weekends away from home for him!) I snapped lots of pictures... frozen memories to tuck away... but I'm respecting the Girl's wishes and not posting them here.
This was a fast week, but then, it's been a fast month. A fast spring! Summer is right around the corner and I have a feeling it's going to try to break a record by zooming past before I knew it was here.
Before it does, I'm going to force myself to slow down this weekend and keep in mind the holiday tucked in at the end - Memorial Day. While I go about my business, I'll think about those military men and women who have died for our country, in the name of freedom.
