Time Changes Things

Saturday afternoon we had a bittersweet reunion with a friend that I've known since Kindergarten. His sweet mom died, and as we met up at the funeral home a wave of memories washed over me. A quick flash memory of her helping her son and I get ready for our parts in a school play. I was Mary and he was my little lamb. She had helped me curl my hair in those long curls, and she took several pictures of us. She was quick to hug and if you were ever in her home, she had to feed ya something. Fast forward to highschool, she was there at graduation, smiling and taking pictures again. When Sweetie and I got married, there she was with camera in hand, and a special crystal frame for our wedding photo. Since then, the last time I saw her was when her husband died, and then it was so brief. She has since sold her home here, and moved in with one of her sons, our friend down in Florida, so it had been 6 years since we saw one another.
Walking inside the doors, memories of the past funerals I had attended here, washed a huge wave of sadness over me. Sweetie kept it together better than I did, he too having his own memories of our mutual friend and his family. Sweetie knew her as a teenager, as both my friend and Sweetie studied for their EMT certifications at his house, and were firefighters together.
After signing in, and greeting other family members we looked for our friend. After several minutes when he came out from a back room, we noticed that he had changed too. I mean we all recognized each other, gave one another grief about the few grey hairs we were now sporting, and then started to chat lightly about how peaceful his mom looked. Getting past the casket we then just stood with our friend and reminiced over how we have been in and out of each others lives ever since we can remember. We laughed, and shook our heads over how each of us has a child that will start highschool next year. Where did the time go? With us living now in different states, we don't get to see each other as often as before, but it is amazing at how easily we reconnect.
Time changes things. It seems we are either learning how to start something, or just starting to get the hang of this particular season, and boom! Another one starts up. Time moves on dragging us with it. We have the same smiles, same sparkle in our eyes, and yet we are different people. That a challenging ride it has been so far..so thankful for friends along the way to support us and in turn for us to help through the difficult times, and to celebrate the blessings with!