Long Lost Friends

I’ll be back to talk about the events of this past week later, but for now, I thought that I’d share something that had been on my mind through this week.

I’m sure that you, like me, have many friends who you don’t talk to on a regular basis, but they still hold a special place in your heart. The best thing about this kind of friend is that you don’t have to be in constant communication, but if you saw each other, you could reconnect with them as if no time has passed.

In the past week, I have corresponded some with an old friend of mine from my Confirmation class, Emily. Right now, she is attending college in Connecticut, so I don’t see her too often. In a random turn of events, she had commented on a picture of Mimi and me from our birthday celebration that I posted to Facebook. Last night, I started thinking about how I really became friends with Emily, and I had an epiphany, of sorts.  I realized that Emily gave me the inspiration to become who I am today. 

It all started about four-and-a-half years ago when I was the new kid in the Confirmation class. I really didn’t know anyone and I was very anxious about the experience that was to come. In my first few weeks of class, I gradually got to know my classmates, but I was still shy around everyone. I remember that Emily was one of the older kids in the class, as she was two years older than me. Also, she was one of the more outgoing people in that class, and I wasn’t. I liked how she wasn’t afraid to assert her opinions about the various topics we discussed. Many times, others in our class didn’t agree with her. She always held true to her convictions and she was a truly genuine person.

At that point in life, I was still living in the shadow of others and trying to really find myself. In Emily, I found not only a friend, but who I truly aspired to be. As our two-year program progressed, she and I became friends and I became who I am today. This is only one half of the story, though. At the beginning of our second year of classes, Emily lent me a book, in which she included a note to me. In this note, Emily told me that she actually looked up to me and was blown away by things that I had said in class. To hear that a senior looked up to a mere sophomore blew my mind. Up to that point in my life, I never realized that I had that kind of an impact on another person, and it changed me for the better. After knowing that, I knew for sure that we would be friends for a long time.

As the years have passed, we have still remained friends. Like I said, I don’t get to see her very often, but we always have a nice chat when we do see each other. We usually pick up right where we left off, and our conversations leave me feeling happy and refreshed. I am truly blessed to have a friend like her!

Emily & I at our Confirmation (2009)