The Long and the Lost

The long and the lost - This describes a number of my friends from the past. Over the years I have lost contact with many people I considered close friends.

Christmas card greetings become years apart and soon disappear. Friends move on to new places with new friends and the communications become increasingly less. You begin to create lives without them and although you mean well to keep in touch, days lead to months leads to years.

I have been as guilty as the next on letting this happen. I have 'tried' and all of a sudden the days are years.

This could be a very depressing blog post, but for those that know me I am not the depressing kind. I see silver linings, the cup half full, and the partly sunny skies.

Today I had the surprise of the year. It was all because of a post I made last week. One of my followers wrote me a personal note about the impact of the blog. She send the email to a personal account I have but rarely check. She told me later that she had sent it there so this morning I logged on to read what she wrote. The email was wonderful and something I needed to hear so I really appreciate the feedback on the blog, but as I closed her email down all of the unread emails came to view.

Advertising, spam, spam, a job opportunity and then I saw it! An email from a long lost friend! I instantly wore a smile and had to re-read the name a few times to make sure it was true. All the email said was "I heard a song we use to hear when we played pool and thought of you, so I googled you. How the heck are you?"

No blame, no issues, no problems - just a simple email to say she had been thinking of me. I immediately wrote back and after a few email exchanges feel like I know everything that has happened the past 5 or so years of losing touch. A simple song led to a simple search which led to a simple email which lead to a reconnection. It was like we never lost contact. I could see her face and hear her voice saying "how the heck are you?" True friends, lifelong friends, the long and the lost.

I told her my blog would be about her tonight as I really find something positive and purposeful about friendships. I have some friends who I talk to all the time. They are great and I wouldn't give them up for the world. I have friends who I have known for 30 years and every few years we connect just to check in.

Then I have friends who I grew up with. NOT as children, but as adult. The ones that know your soul by the experiences you had with them. They were the first to accept you for who you were and what you were. The first to care about you as a person and expect nothing in return. The first to see your dreams and push you towards them. You may not talk for months or years, but you think about them when you hear an old song or see an old restaurant you use to hang out at, or smell the aroma of a cheap cigar. They are memories so ingrained in your mind just one thought and it is like they are there.

This is an amazing feeling. To know that people you have cared about but lost touch feel the same. We all have these people in our past. Someone who use to say hi to you while walking home, or someone who stayed with you after a surgery, or someone who played pool with you while listening to really bad music.

I had been searching for this friend, yes google is my friend, but to no avail. Now, at the right time she appears. A renewed spirit, a caring heart, and a knowing soul.

If you want to live a positive and purposeful life today, be THAT person. Reach out to an old friend and say "How the heck are you doing?" Search for them and make them smile.

The Long and the Lost are rarely forgotten. They live in the depths of your heart. As you get ready to get a good night sleep tonight, think back to a person who you 'grew up with'. If you have no clue where they are at, google them, search for them, find them and connect! It does the heart good.

Thank you Sarah Sue!