Points2Ponder

     "Whether 15 or 50...Friends for Life-thru thick and thin!"

                                     Points2Ponder

                                                                                                       By Alan P. Scaglone

 When’s the last time you went to a Reunion?

The kind that has you looking face to face with someone you knew well… as a child?
They knew you when you were a greasy head, pimple faced, full of “dreams for the future” teenager…
And here you are, almost 40 years later… looking in those same eyes and same smile… like Time Stood Still!

Points2Ponder  When’s the last time you got to check in with your past and let it know—life turned out okay!

I have been blessed to have maintained friendships from all of the major phases of my life.

Terri, Judy, Mike are from my early teenage years.
Sandy is from my high school years.
Shawn is from my early professional years.
Suzann is from my early married/parenting years.
All of them knew me when… I was greasy haired, pimple faced and full of dreams—I had a lot of those!
I always had my dreams—most of them were to be a lawyer—just like Perry Mason!
All of my friends knew—Alan was going to be a lawyer.
And I got there—TWICE! Walked away BOTH times!
Stetson Law School… been there, done that!
So… that dream dissipated, but my friendships flourished.
I keep in contact with most of my lifelong friends via email, text or facebook. I’m just not a tweeter! Lol!
So, I don’t get to physically see them often… some, it has been years since I physically saw them eye to eye.
Two of these are Terri and Judy.
We were together from my age 12-16. Only 5 years, but boy, were they formative.
My bond with them and Mike all stems from our experience as members of an 85 voice gospel choir called Young Gospel Singers!
Catchy name, huh?
Found out… they were making out a business card, and the guy asked about the group.
Our pastor answered “some young gospel singers”.
The “some” was dropped and Young Gospel Singers were born.
I have to say, for me, it was a defining moment in my life.
My relationship with Christ, and the expectations of it, was formed then.
My relationships with friends, what I would give as a friend, what I would expect in a friend, were formed.
And they were formed with Judy, Terri and Mike.
They all had such an influence on my life. Maybe more than I had on them.
Terri was my age—big smile, bigger laugh.
Judy was 2 years older—she was our piano player and daughter to my favorite Mama Welfare.
Mike was 5 years older—always smiling, sure of what he wanted and willing to commit to it.
We all went our separate ways, some stayed in church, some didn’t, but we always kept in some kind of touch.
It always mattered to me that I knew how they were doing, how life was treating them, how they were turning out.
Mama Welfare passed away about 6 years ago—I went and saw Judy. It was like old home week—no time had elapsed.
Then she had a health scare 3 years ago—asked me to pray. We did. She is still here!
Terri had a health scare 3 months ago—we prayed, she got through it—She is still here also!
Mike is my resident Editor in Chief of all of my novels—working on another now!
We’re all in our fifties now—a far cry from 15!
But… I got to see the girls last week. Met for lunch.
And… a few wrinkles showing, no pimples present and most of my greasy hair missing…
Just felt like we were 15 again.
And we checked in—all healthy, happy and at peace!
Could we ask for anything more?
Judy lives in California—doesn’t get to Florida much.
As we left I hugged her and said,
“We may not see each other again on this side, but I’ll wait for you at the Eastern Gate—with Mama Welfare!”

We both shed a tear or two, hugged and laughed!

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