Old Friends

This past week saw me catching up with a friend I hadn't seen for 22 years.

What I love about old friends is that there's none of the 'who are you, what do you do, where do you live, how many kids, blah blah blah.... " that inevitably comes with meeting new people. That unconscious eyeing up of the other person that you do - that internal assessment inside your mind as you wonder if you are kindred spirits or not.
It's so nice with old friends, because you've already done that long ago.

After 22 years alot has changed in my life and my friend's life, but the connection is still there.
We were in YWAM together in Australia. I was 18 at the time, and escaping a possesive boyfriend who had asked me to marry him; I had turned him down and things turned ugly after that.
I applied to go to YWAM when a family friend really encouraged me to follow my interests in christian missions, and at this point in my life I have to say it was one of the best things that I ever did.

I made life-long friendships with some wonderful girls. A small group of us have kept in touch over the years. We haven't been together in all that time, but our friendship is still strong. When you're 18 years old, you take these friendships for granted - but it's not until you're much older that you realise their value and treasure them.

That's me in the red dress. Oh 18 - how I wish I had your body with me at 40!! That's my Aussie friend Sammy on the far right, and she's wearing my clothes in this photo.
That's my American friend Danielle on the far left who is a missionary in Africa with her family. On the bad days with my kids, I regularly tell them that one day I'm going to ship them off to Danielle so they learn how to be grateful for what they have.
And Michelle in the middle next to me is who I caught up with last week, and who I might add, still looks exactly like she does in this photo.

And the girl in the 'Hey Mon' t-shirt is my Canadian friend Leanne, who I am particularly close to. We don't catch up that often as we both have busy lives, but when we do, it's a looong conversation. She has always been a wise adviser in my life, and a faithful friend, and to this day still knows me as well as anyone.