My friends Ann and Missy have been integral people in my life since childhood, and maintaining our friendship for four decades has made us more like family than friends. They have both saved me from some very dark times, while supplying some of the happiest and most uproarious moments of my teenage wasteland. This weekend they are scheduled to visit – the first time we will all be together since our 10th high school reunion if my calculations (hazy at best) prove correct. Both of them have also promised to be full game for our coquette summer theme. Ann has been cloaked in pink for years – Missy says she will be wearing it for the first time in forever.
The older I get, and this year I feel older than I’ve ever been (not only because I literally am, but because the past year has taken a lot out of me in just about every way) the more I realize the importance of maintaining the connections that have made us who we are. Ann and Missy were two of the most important people in that formative portion of my young life, and seeing them again will bring all of us the sort of happiness that proves more and more elusive with the passing days.
