Laura And Terri, After All These Years

When I was in sixth or seventh grade, the Beasons moved to Borger and started coming to our church.  Laura and I became bff's.  We did everything together.  Suffered through those awkward teenage years together.  We saw each other through first loves and broken hearts and all the things that come with junior high and high school.  We did the craziest things.  I have such fond memories of those times.  I am sure she does, too.

When I was a senior in high school, her family moved to Enid.  In my young life, that was the worst thing imaginable.  For my best friend to move.  In those days, we kept the postmen busy delivering letters (yes, handwritten letters).  Long distance phone calls were still expensive and there was no email or facebook. 
We learned the route from Borger to Enid.  I made that trip as often as I could, as did Laura. 

In 1975, I was the maid of honor in her wedding and ten months later, she did the same thing for me.  We have become parents and grandparents and moved across the country and out of the country.  We have shared life's major events with each other. 

I always thought Laura was one of the most beautiful names I had ever heard.  But it was much more than the beauty of the name that caused me to want to name my baby girl Laura Nicole. A beautiful person who had been a beautiful friend for more than twenty years at the time my daughter was born was the compelling reason.

It gets harder and harder to connect with each other.  As many times as we have tried to get together,. it has been five years since we have seen each other.  Today, we made it work.   Laura and Stan drove from Enid and spent some time with us this morning.  We hugged and cried tears of happiness.  We had a couple of hours together.  There is no way to catch up five years in two hours.  That two hours passed way too quickly.

We hugged again.  And cried again.  We promised it would not be five years again.  I hope it will not be.  But if it should be, it still won't change a thing,.  We will pick up right where we left off today.  I am so thankful for a friendship that has spanned the both time and distance.

Terri