I've Found a Long Lost Friend

Rita and Rachel, March 1987, Beta Gamma Sorority-"Cup Cotillion Ball"

I searched long. I prayed oft. I wondered many times what happened to my dear old friend Rachel.

We were best of friends in High School. We were co-Feature Editors for our high school newspaper, the Palmetto Leaf. We were twins in mind, spirit, and even looks. She was more petite and prettier than me, but if I had a dime for every time someone called me "Rachel" and someone called her "Rita", we'd both have a nice little lump of shopping money right now. We shared ideals, goals, music, you name it. We shared mutual friends, like Sherrie. Our circle was small, but it was the making of a happy little group. Then she moved away.

I still had Sherrie, but our wonderful threesome of carefree souls was broken up, and in my heart, I never lost track of her. I could never find her on the map, but in my heart, I always wondered where she might be or what life had brought her way.

Many times, I would do free people searches. I managed to find out that at one point she was living within 100 miles of me. I nearly had a heart attack I was so excited. I wanted to dig and dig, but I didn't know how without going through those really questionable sources. You know, the companies that make you feel like a dirt bag for "investigating" your friend. Sheesh....these shady places offer info on social security numbers, traffic violations, divorces....basically, a rap sheet of sorts. No thanks. I just wanted to know where in the world my friend was, and if there was any chance we could still be friends.

I had become a Christian in 1990, and one of the first people I thought of was Rachel. But I didn't know where to find her. I so longed to tell her of what had happened in my heart, but all my searching came up empty. Until recently.

Being a 1988 graduate, 2008 marked my 20 year high school reunion. Thankfully, someone in my graduating class was resourceful enough to start a web page where all the alumni could share personal info. This allowed all of us graduates to set up profiles, so we could catch everyone up on their lives. I was excited about this website because I thought to myself, "Maybe Rachel will have a profile...just maybe..."

To my great delite, she had a profile. I cried tears of joy as I read her first email to me. We have since exchanged many emails and many pictures of our families. I can't believe we have finally reconnected, but we have. And through all of our conversations, I have found that we share the same God, the same love of our family, and the same love of writing. She is the very inspiration for me starting my blog.

Through the years, I have come to a greater understanding that friendship is not just who you run to Wal-Mart with; it is longevity. I'm so grateful to God for bringing my friendship with Rachel back to full circle. We don't get to chat every day. We don't even email as much as we did when we first found each other. But I know if I need her she will be there. And I believe in my heart, she always was. And no matter where your friends are on the map, in your heart, you are always there for them.

Unfortunately, neither one of us got to make it to the reunion. I wish I could have seen her and reminisced in person. But now that we are in touch, we can take our time. She has helped us with craft ideas, and my daughter interviewed her for a history project. We're both just living our lives and staying busy. (She's an amazing woman!) But at least we have a little part of each other now.