I love how facebook, by way of Google helps reconnect those you haven't been in contact with. Whether it be a few weeks, a month or even years...many, many years, it's so great to re-connect. Those that know me, know that I'm a google FREAK. When Stefan was sick a few years ago and it was so rare, Google became my best friend. Since then I have used google for any and everything. From moving an itunes account from one laptop to another, from saving an ipod that had been ran through the wash cycle, to what recipe to make with what ingredients I have on hand...google is my go-to gal!
In saying that, I was googling the other night as I do a lot at night in my "quiet" time when the kids go to bed and my mind wanders. I think of things I have to do in the up coming days, think of the memories I have with my kids, my husband, my family, an on occasion, my mind even wonders to my childhood.
That's what it did this past evening. I was thinking of my little home in Sayre, America, south of town and the few people that actually lived out that way versus the other parts of our small town. We had the Vidaurri's that lived in one "row" of trailers alongside the road that led you to our little area, then you get to the corner of the road you'd turn down to come to my home and there would be the "Callahan" family on one corner. Driving down my road, you'd get to my home, a little further down, you'd get to the "Reed" family, around that corner the "Easter" family and on over the overpass, the "Hearn" family and "Cotts" families. We all lived in little patches in that area because we all had land we lived on. The "Robertson" family lived right behind us and our pasture we lived on and they had their own patch of land they lived on. So we were all right there together in our own little worlds.
When you turned off the highway headed down the red dirt road that led to my home, on the opposite corner of the Callahan's, there was a work yard and a family lived there....The Smith's. This family with the Adams family and the Sanders family (who lived on the north part of town) had a bond. We thought that bond was broken when the Sanders family moved to Kentucky and the Smith family moved to Texas, but in fact, the circle will never be unbroken!
I "found" Amy Sanders when I was working in a grocery store out here in Phoenix, AZ, at least 20 years ago. Her and her little family walked in the grocery store I was working in and I recognized that face and knew exactly who she was, however, I could NEVER approach her. I mean, I was in the big city for goodness sakes, they don't live by country code and you can walk up to anyone and strike up a conversation. I saw Amy walk in with a "boy", cause that's what they were 20 years ago, still kids themselves it seemed like and she was pushing a shopping cart with THREE (3) little ones in it...all stepping stones, each less than a year apart, all born in the month of December! lol I ran to my friend Shelley, who also worked at the grocery store and told her "You have to go up to that girl over there and ask her if her name is Amy Sanders". After much convincing of her to do it and why I couldn't do it, she did it for me. She walked up to her and said, "Hello, excuse me...Does your name happen to be Amy Sanders"?....anyone that knows Amy knows she got a little bit of an attitude back. lol She said "It's Amy Stalcup but my last name used to be Sanders, why?" When I heard her say that, I knew it was safe to come from around the corner and face her. lol As I came out from around the corner and she saw me, it was like all those years disappeared and we instantly bonded with each other like we had just talked that morning. We hugged, we cried, we re-connected! It was the best thing ever. I met her husband, Tim and her 3 children, Alexis, Mariah & Timothy and every since then we've been "sisters" again. Remember, we grew up together and were pretty much inseperable...meeting up with her again as young adults, it took us right back to that place and that's how it's been over the past 20 years! Her kids have grown up in to young adults themselves, she's seen me grow my little family and the "cousins" are just as close. It's a mini-made family! She now only lives 2 hours from me and we get together as much as our schedules allow us too. It used to be once or twice a month, but now it's a little less than that and with our kids getting older, it's going to be back to the once or twice a month.
Now that you know the back story on Amy and I...let me tell you about our 3rd little person in our family unit...Carolyn Smith! She moved away and our families kept in touch, I remember going to Perryton, Texas with my family and stayed and visited a few times. Then the contact dwindled off. I've thought about Carolyn many many times over the years but never really knew how to contact her. I mean, I knew her mom and dad's names, but you just don't if people still live in the same place, people get a divorce and remarry, etc. So, I was never able to find her. The other night I was googling, (night) dreaming and decided to google her name. I mean, really, she's probably married so there's no way I'll find her. So I facebook her name...nope, no search results for her. However, just so you know, there are A LOT of Smith's out there! Wow! haha! I go back to google and I google her mom and dad's names in Perryton, Tx and low and behold a search result comes up. As I click on it, I"m very saddened to read that it's her sister Susie's (Suzanne) obituary. I started crying. I haven't seen them in over 22-25 years and yet, reading her obituary was like I had just received the phone call. The obituary was from a few years back and she had her own little family as well. A husband, a son and a daughter. As I continued reading, I read her children's names and we all know FB is huge for young teens, so I googled their names. JACKPOT! I found the son...I messaged him and let him know who I was, etc. After doing that, I went back to the google article I was reading and I saw Carolyn's name, Weezy (Alicia's) name and everything. I went back on FB, searched for them and FOUND THEM ALL!!!! I was so excited!!! I messaged my mom, my sister Amy and Lisa and told them who I found and that I was so excited and that I hoped they remembered us and would accept our friend requests. haha! Wouldn't that be embarrassing if they didn't remember us?
When everyone woke up yesterday morning, Wednesday, they all got our friend requests. They remembered all of us and it was just like it was in school and growing up. The bond sealed. We have spent the last day, evening and in to today reconnecting, catching up, planning visits, etc. I am so glad to have my sisters back in my life. Life is too short, as I remembered with Susie leaving us all too soon!
If you have any old friendships, current friendships that are broken or family relationships that are broken and you want to fix it. DO IT! We are only on this earth for a limited time and we don't know how long that is.
I'm so happy to have found Carolyn after all of this time...and by the way...in case you knew her too and wonder if she's changed....she hasn't! She's the same girly girl with a tomboy side! xoxo
