my seasonal allergies, if you will

Kristin, Megan, Grace Anne and I went to dinner together tonight--the first time we've been together in quite a long while. It's amazing to me that we can go so long without seeing each other (specifically Grace Anne) and yet we can all go to dinner and never have an awkward moment. In fact, we had a fabulous time together. On the way home, Kristin and I were talking about how interesting it is to live in a place like Ortega, where there are the cliquey people, and then there are the people like us. Those who go to school together in kindergarten and elementary school, don't see each other for 5 years, go to church together, lose touch because of schedules and such, and yet--we can come back and spend time together like we've never missed a beat. It's incredibly special to me...and I can just picture how neat it will be 5 years from now, when we've all been at college for a few years, and we can come back and see each other as if we've never spent a day apart. Such a different life I live from my mom, who was constantly moving due to her father's job in the military. The fact that I am in contact (or at least on a see-you-remember-you-talk-with-you basis) with people I went to preschool with still amazes her. And I'm truly blessed in that regard.

There are also the friends who I've known for a large majority of my life. My two best friends: Katie, who I've known since I was a year old and met at the neighborhood pool where I still spend time and recently had my 16th birthday party; and Lindsay, who I met over 8 years ago when she came to our new home from her house across the street to greet her new neighbors: "Hi, I'm Lindsay. Welcome to the neighborhood!" she announced, at her tender age of 9. We became friends quickly, even though she had a hard time remembering if my name was Lucy, Lisa or Leslie. She moved after living across the street from me for 6 1/2 or so years. Her house only 10 minutes away seemed like 10 hours compared to a 30 second walk. But, alas, drivers' licenses and cars came along and life resumed to almost normalcy again and, as far as I'm concerned, she'll always be my across-the-street-neighbor and my best friend number 2. I remember my 8th grade year--the year I was cut off from all social encounters except for the high schoolers at Village Dance and the 'dangerous' world of internet paedoephiles (I'm only kidding. They were harmless girls who were inspired and obsessed with Nicole Kidman)--realizing that the only two people I ever considered 'hanging out with' were Katie and/or Lindsay. Katie attending Episcopal, Lindsay attending La Villa and me attending...homeschool...made for some interesting times. But, they were my best friends when I didn't even have other friends, much less best ones. And, thus they will forever stay my best friends. I would venture a guess that they will be in my wedding, and I in theirs. Unless Katie picks out some horridly ugly bridesmaids' dresses. :p

And then there are the friends who I've known for less time, but have gotten astoundingly close to in that smaller time pocket. And it seems, often, that those you grow extremely close to are the ones who you cannot reconnect with after so much time. It's as if there is so much time lost and so many memories forsaken that it would take too long to put the puzzle back together.

So, these whimsical friendships, though they seem to be fleeting, are actually a huge part of my life, and very special. They're not just high school aquaintances that I see in the hallway and wave for good measure, and they're not the ones that I've spent hours pouring my heart out to and sharing my gravest secrets with only to be forgotten and betrayed. No, they're the ones who were there in the beginning, are here in the middle, and will be there in the end. The seasonal friends. My seasonal friends. I love you all. Thanks for always being there.

"To everything there is a season,

A time for every purpose under heaven:

A time to be born,

And a time to die;

A time to plant,

And a time to pluck what is planted;

A time to kill,

And a time to heal;

A time to break down,

And a time to build up;

A time to weap,

And a time to laugh;

A time to mourn,

And a time to dance;

A time to cast away stones,

And a time to gather stones;

A time to embrace,

And a time to refrain from embracing;

A time to gain,

And a time to lose;

A time to keep,

And a time to throw away;

A time to tear,

And a time to sew;

A time to keep silence,

And a time to speak;

A time to love,

And a time to hate;

A time of war,

And a time of peace."

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

God bless,

lv