Twenty Years

This was a good weekend! I spent time with friends I’ve known for twenty years. We all met when new to Charlottesville; our babies were small and some not yet born, we were beginning new jobs, new schools and somehow we all landed in the same terrific neighborhood. The bus stop is a great way to meet and greet for young and old. Immediately we find our new best friends, plan play dates, parties, and sleepovers and in an instant…twenty years have passed. Today only two families remain in that terrific neighborhood, several live streets away, a few of us are across town and two are out-of-state but still we gather on a regular basis because it feels as if we never left our neighborhood cocoon.

This weekend our two out-of-state friends were in town visiting. On this busy weekend I luckily saw both of them for a short time. Over two days my friends were spread out over three places but we comfortably picked up from six months before when we last saw one another. Conversations cover all topics and nothing is ever off-limits, at least for the ladies! We grew our children together, we’ve lost and gained jobs, we’ve sadly witnessed divorce and health threats, and happily now are beginning to celebrate our children’s academic and career accomplishments. These connections we share cannot be underestimated. When I spend time with my friends I am recharged. It is time spent away from the daily grind, problems that need solving, issues needing my performance in some way. Time with friends=laughter=smiling=health benefits. This is good, right?

Looking back I remember fondly how we parents and our kids were intertwined as a group. Some of the parents coached our kids in swimming, diving, basketball, baseball, gymnastics, football, and lacrosse.  Some of the parents educated our kids anywhere from kindergarten to 12th grade. Some offered the best hills in the neighborhood for sledding and the promise of a thick hot chocolate with creamy marshmallows afterward. Two of our parents have flown us to our travel destinations. One parent has straightened a few of the kid’s smiles along the way and reminds you to still wear your retainers. Some of us have vacationed together…some of us still do. Some of us share our deepest worries and secrets in order to maintain some sense of normalcy until the clouds pass. These friendships run deep and have grown beyond what the children forged at the bus stop twenty years ago.

With our twenty year bond weaving our families together I ponder what lies ahead. Dancing at our children’s weddings and welcoming the next generation sounds like a good plan to me!

Inspired by Sandra over at A Momma’s View who wants to hear something good today!