Wednesday, March 13, 2013

My Best Friend...Again


It has been almost two years. Two years in which a lot has happened. I retired, had two grandchildren, and published a book. Two years missed. A friendship grieved.

A friendship that began almost forty years ago. We were so young then. Our friendship spanned decades, decades full of the evolution of our lives, decades that we shared with each other. There was absolutely nothing that I could not tell her, nothing that I did not tell her.

Distance didn’t matter. I moved to countries far away, in the days before email and Skype. We wrote letters the old fashioned way, and when I came back to visit, we picked up where we left off. There was never a time when she was not my best friend.

Then it changed, so gradually that it was several years before I really noticed. Phone calls not answered or returned. Conversations leaving me feeling that something was off, but not sure what it was. I finally told myself that whatever we had was gone, and I tried to let go. But I missed her.

Then yesterday I read a post on Vishnu’s Virtues about friendship, old friendships, about treasuring them. And I thought of her. What would it hurt to call? Maybe nothing would happen, but maybe....

She answered. It was a surprise to both of us. It was a little awkward, but not for long. We found our way back to each other. We cried. We caught up. We regretted the time lost, all the things we didn’t know about each other now. We spoke of what we meant to each other.

She is going to come visit me this summer. My best friend...again.

Thank you, Vishnu, for being my friendship angel.

related posts: Angels Among Us; Forgiveness Sometimes Just Happens

42 comments:

  1. Oh, I'm so glad you found your friend again! This post makes me happy. Thanks for sharing.

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  2. That's so fantastic you've reconnected with an old friend. I also recently reconnected with someone who I've known since I was 18, a couple of years ago (as I smile), and it's amazing how the conversation never stopped. Sure we've both aged, we both have war wounds to share with one another, but when we laugh it's a true friendship laugh and something I've missed immensely. I hope to be more in touch with this individual, I believe when anyone has a friend such as this that this is where the term soul mates originates; we are connected in spirit and soul and one cannot deny that even for a minute.

    Enjoy your new-found, long time friend Galen!

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    1. darlin, So glad that you reconnected with an old friend, too. Like you, I hope that this conversation with my friend signals more communication, and that we can reestablish some of what we had before. Thanks for commenting.

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  3. I'm crying for you, I'm so happy that you got your friend back. I know how you must have missed her for those long 2 years. It's the same situation I've been going through with my childhood best friend for over 5 years. I'm so happy you were able to resolve your differences and find your way back to friendship and love.

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    1. Chrissy, I hope you can reconnect with your friend, too. I don't know if my friend and I can have what we had before, but the initial conversation was healing and I have hope of a better communication now. If you contact your friend, I hope it goes well. Thanks for your comment.

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  4. This is wonderful news - thank you for sharing about your friend and the wonderful inspiring angel and post.

    I am hoping today my comment will post? I was not able to do so for 2 posts and it is coming in a bit differently in my email.

    I have two blogger friends who stopped taking comments altogether on their blogs because of the spammers. I have noticed a couple of internationally huge blogs a little button at the bottom to put a check mark in which says - say you are not a spammer or their clever words to indicate as much....I wonder how JD Meier, Sources of Insight, deals with this with 216,000 new views each week? I will send him an email and ask. I lost so many commenters with the capture code, but one Search Engine was crashing my site and sending 1k messages to my site a day after I used the word Abxxtxxn in a title of a book I reviewed years ago...still on their radar - it is frustrating

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    1. Patricia, Thanks for persisting through my comment experiment. You should be able to comment now as before.

      Blogger does not have the little box check option. It would be an easy filter. I don't like the capture codes or word verification because they are often hard to decipher. I'm not in JD's league, so the spam comments are an annoyance to delete, but not yet unmanageable. Let me know what you find out from JD. Thanks for commenting.

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  5. Interesting...I did the same thing about four days ago... called a friend from college with whom I'd had some contact over the years and then nothing ... we were right back in step after many years absence... I'm so glad I made the call and so was she. It's nice to revive old friendships... they're the best kind.

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    1. Teresa, Great minds thinking and acting alike! I'm so glad you reconnected with your friend, too. Thanks for your comment.

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  6. Isn't that wonderful, Galen. I'm so happy for you. It's amazing how you were inspired by Vishu - the power of connections at work!

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    1. Corinne, I know! Makes me realize that we really don't know sometimes what impact a post will have. Thanks for your comment.

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  7. Great story, Galen. That is wonderful for you. Friendships are so important. The best ones are those that you can just pick up where you left off. Great that you were inspired to make that call. Enjoy!

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    1. Cathy, Yes, I'm very grateful for Vishnu for the little nudge! Thanks for commenting.

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  8. yes!!! good work Galen. never know who our blog posts will inspire and when:) I'm glad you picked up the phone and called. I don't think it was as much me as the universe trying to repair this lifetime friendship. glad things worked out and hope your story inspires others to rekindle and rebuild the lost friendships in their lives. thanks for the mention as well Galen:)

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    1. Vishnu, So true, we never know how our posts will ripple out into the universe. Thank you so much. You have given me a wonderful gift. And thanks for commenting.

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  9. Oh wow....another amazing story!! It is nice that reading a blog post has prompted you to do something meaningful.

    I am sitting here wondering who I can call. I don't have a best friend but I do have many friends whom I have not kept in touch with. It's always wonderful to catch up.

    Thank you!

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    1. Evelyn, I hope you think of one or more folks to call and catch up with. Good luck! Thanks for commenting.

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  10. So glad you have reconnected with your dear friend, Galen. There's nothing better than friends, best friends for life.
    Blessings and love!

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    1. Martha, I'm so pleased, too. I can't wait to see her this summer. Thanks for your good wishes, and for your comment.

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  11. This is a beautiful and inspiring story! That's wonderful that you were able to reconnect with your best friend. I've been thinking of some friends from my grad school days that I've "fallen out of connection" with, wondering why. Maybe I should stop wondering why and just try to reconnect. Thank you for sharing this.

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    1. Tina, I hope you will try to contact them. You never know. Good luck and thanks for commenting.

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  12. Hi Galen,

    I was so happy to hear you called your friend after reading Vishnu's post. It's wonderful to hear you'll be meeting up again in the summer.

    I did exactly the same thing after I read his post! I rang my best friend. It seems like Vishnu has had a big impact on people with his words on friendships.

    Thank you.

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    1. Hiten, Oh, how wonderful that you reached out to your friend, too. I agree that Vishnu has a beautiful influence on all he comes in contact with. Thanks for commenting.

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  13. I really love this post. We are going out of town this weekend and are going to be in the same city of a very dear friend. I haven't spoken with her for a very long time. I just talked to her on the phone and I can't wait to see her and their family. I call these kinds of relationships forever friends.
    Blessings!

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    1. LeAnn, Enjoy reconnecting with your friend. I like your phrase forever friends. Thanks for commenting.

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  14. What a beautiful story of friendship, initiative, and what our minds often do to fill in gaps and create narratives that end up being laced with threads of our own imagination, some true, some less so.

    Thanks so much for sharing this, Galen. It's an important reminder. And congratulations on the reunion! I almost felt like I was reuniting with an old friend as I read your account! :)

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    1. Ken, Thanks for the kind words. You are right that we make up stories to fill up the gaps. Our minds do not tolerate uncertainty very well. When we have a chance to check our stories with the other person, we are often surprised by how far off base we are. I appreciate your comment.

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  15. Hello Galen,

    It took an online friend for you to connect with your best friend (offline).

    Eventually friendship wins and this is a strong message to the people who discard online friends.

    Its finding a rite balance with online and offline friends that matters a lot.

    I find time to connect with my best friends minimum thrice a week through telephone and we meet up once in 2 weeks..

    This is my first initiative to connect with such a wonderful person like you and may I know your real name my dear friend?

    Sincerely,
    Rafi

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    1. Rafi, Welcome to my blog. How wonderful that you treasure and nurture the relationships you have with your best friends. I'm so pleased that Vishnu inspired me to reconnect with my friend. I wish we could see each other in person more often, but living so far away makes that hard.

      As for my real name, online my real name is Galen Pearl! It's a name I've always loved, and it seems "real" to me.

      Thank you so much for your comment. I hope you will stop by again.

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  16. Galen,

    I'm happy you and your friend reconnected. Sometimes we get so busy that we can lose connection with those people we once held the closest.

    I hope you two have a great visit this summer!

    Alex

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    1. Alex, I am very excited about seeing her this summer. Although it wasn't busyness that drove a wedge in our friendship, I know what you mean. I have certainly neglected important relationships because of thinking I was too busy. Hopefully, I have learned more about priorities at this point in my life, but it is always good to have a reminder. Thanks for your comment.

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  17. Very sweet post. My husband was in the military so we moved every three years and of course most of our military friends were moving too. Every so often we would be in the same place again and reconnect. Sometimes we grew in different directions and the friendship was not the same, but it was always pleasant to catch up. I often hesitate to be the one to reach out, whether out of shyness or maybe even a tad bit of fear, but it is such a positive and beautiful gesture to rekindle a friendship. Lovely post.

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    1. krystal lynn, I have several friends who grew up moving around like you did. It is a special lifestyle that some thrive in. I hope that was true for you. It does take some extra effort to keep in touch and maintain those connections. I am still friends with someone I've known since we were neighbors as young children. We have not lived in the same city since then, but we have stayed in touch. Thanks for commenting.

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  18. Wonderful post as always Galen. I really love this story, it reaminds me of when I was younger and had a similar experience. Hope you two have a wonderful summer!

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  19. Nice post,indeed.At the moment I'm a bit disappointed in friendships,but it was nice to read this.
    First time on this blog.It's nice :)...

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    1. Jasmina, Welcome to my blog. I'm sorry that you are having a disappointing time in the friendship department right now. I hope that changes, either because you reconnect with friends you've lost touch with, or because you make some wonderful new friends. Thank you for commenting, and I hope you will stop by again.

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    2. I'll stop by again for sure :)!

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  20. I'm so happy for you and your friend, Galen! It just shows you, anything is possible. And, I think Vishnu is an angel too.

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