Ooh, you're my best friend

Day 17: Someone from my childhood

Dear Em,

you were my first bff. We date back to sunbeams. Maybe even nursery...that's a question to ask our parents. I remember one of our primary teachers saying she could tell just by looking at the two of us together that we were kindred spirits and had been best friends before this life. And we would just look at each other and smile, as if to say "you will always be my favorite person. ever." I remember going over to your house allll the time on Sundays. My first ever sleep over was at your house. I remember getting in fights. And crying. And giggling. LOTS of giggling. And talking too. Who knew 6-year-old girls, not a care in the world, had so much drama to discuss? I remember going with your family to the farmshow and eating maple cottoncandy. And I remember going with you to Hersheypark when the Wildcat was brand new that summer, and running straight there when the park opened and riding it first. Way back in the day when that was still a good ride haha. (You wouldn't know this of course, but the Wildcat is now the worst ride in the entire park. Go on it if you want a concussion, or at least a migraine the rest of the day.)

I had no concept of distance at that age. I remember thinking you lived what seemed like forever away. Only to find out when I got older that your house had been 5 minutes from mine, and we lived in the same school district. Sometimes I like to think of the what-ifs, like what if we went to high school together? I bet I wouldn't have made 80% of all my stupid mistakes then if you had been by my side. But it was meant to be...I would be a zippo-fun, totally boring person without my mistakes.

So then came the summer we both turned 8 and got baptized a month apart, and then you moved away. To Panama. Of course back then, people just told me that was on the "other side of the world", which to me basically meant I was never gonna see you again. I don't think we ever got to properly say goodbye to eachother. Thank goodness for our parents who exchanged addresses, so we continued writing to each other all the time. (I remember using lots and lots of Lisa Frank stationary, because that was HUGE then. In fact, it was bigger than huge...it was my life.) And then you moved a few more times and we lost contact for awhile. A looooong while. I thought I'd never hear from you again.

Boy am I glad that a few years ago I found you on myspace, and now we're also facebook friends and our families stay in touch. It makes me really happy. Woot-woot for the internet; it can be a beautiful thing. Maybe sometime in the future we'll see each other again...it would be great fun. But at least now I know the location and goings-on of my very first bff and can read about your life and contact you if I ever need to. And I'm grateful. =)

Love,
Sheridan