Five Minute Friday: Remember... How Sweet It Is To Have Old Friends

REMEMBER...

Remember when we were seventeen, and making up dance moves in the library?

We had crushes on boys, and problems with the high school drama.

And people would call our name to see who turned around.

We were just kids, that thought we had grown up.

We were just starting out, we were unsure of ourselves…

We still are, only now we are adults, with the bills to prove it.

Sitting at a table with you guys is like a time machine.

Instantly I’m 28 and 18-years-old, all at once.

I’m a kid, a mess, wondering where to go from here…

And a woman, a wife, thankful where life has taken her so far.

We can’t run to Sonic after school anymore.

We can’t go shopping every Saturday afternoon.

But when we do get together, it’s as if time stood still.

It’s as if we’re still awkwardly walking those crowded linoleum-floored halls, as if a decade hasn’t passed.

And that’s the beauty of having old friends.

That's the beauty of having you guys.

People that have known me through so many ups and downs.

Seen me at my worst, and stood beside me ‘til things got better.

I can’t imagine life without you in it.

I wouldn’t have made it to twenty without the two of you.

You gave me hope that I’d get through.

And together we did.

Through proms. And hangovers. And leaving for college.

Through break-ups, and proposals, and so much more.

You guys were there.

And you still are, and I thank God for that.

I still remember cranking up Sir-Mix-A-Lot and rolling the windows down, suiting up in the locker room for volleyball games and painting shirts for pep rallies.

And someday I’ll remember this week, standing beside you as my husband played guitar. Amazed that we could be there, together, those same silly girls, the Jennifer’s, huddled up in a crowd.

A little older. A little wiser. But still very much the same.

I’m thankful that even in the idiocy of my youth, I surveyed the crowd at our high school and knew you two stood out.

You two mattered. And you two made a difference.

You’ve helped me get to where I am now, and I look forward to another twelve years, and more, meeting for coffee, or cheesecake, or crying, or chick flicks…

Whatever we need. Wherever we go.

You have been like home, like family.

The ones that have shaped my life for the better.

My Jenns.

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