Can there be anything better....

...than reminiscing with old friends?

We left St. Louis on January 1, 1977. I was scared and cried a good bit of the way to Charleston, WV. I was a country girl from a big city. I had never been out of St. Louis except a couple times across the river to Illinois. I was leaving with a new baby and my entire support group---I had my mom, grandma, 4 sisters, my cousin, Chrissy and lots of friends to help me if I needed it. I would miss them.

The enormity of the responsibility of a brand new baby---Stephanie was barely 6 weeks old---was overwhelming. Butch was working hard and going to school. As I cried to be leaving everyone behind Butch kept saying, "look Barb, it's going to be an adventure!" And, it was.

WV was a culture shock for sure. We arrived amidst cold and snow. We stayed in a motel until our money ran out. Then we slept on the floor of our new apartment---we shopped at Kmart for blankets and a rug. The moving truck did not arrive for two weeks.

I met Sandy---or I should say, we met her husband, Gary---the complex maintenance man. He brought us chairs from the laundry room and introduced me to his wife. The rest is history. We hit it off. We walked together with the kids. She reminded me of blackberry picking and how I taught her to make jelly. We took parenting classes together.

We were only there for one year. Sadly, after a few letters back and forth, we lost touch. That's why it's even more amazing to me that Sandy found me. I'm so glad to have re-connected! What a surprise and a gift! The internet is truly a magical place!!

Why don't you reach out to someone from your past? Let me know how it goes.