A long lost friend
April 2, 2008 | T. Suzanne Eller
I love being part of Facebook and MySpace because I connect with people around me that I might not get to hang out with, but also with friends from the past.
Yesterday I received a message on Facebook that took me back over 30 years. It was from Kathy. . .
Kathy and I were polar opposites. She was pretty. She had developed. She was fun.
I was stick thin (think ET). I had long arms and long legs and a short torso, freckles across my nose, and I was flat as an ironing board.
I really loved Kathy.
Some of the biggest mistakes I made as a girl I made with Kathy.
We spent time at each other’s homes. We talked far into the night. When I became a believer, Kathy was one of the first that I wanted to know.
We separated in early high school. Kathy had a baby and life changed for her.
There is a huge glaring chasm between her sophomore year and now. I don’t know if life has treated her well. I don’t know if she’s been happy or not.
Differences are still there. Kathy is a grandmother to 11, though she’s my age. But she’s still beautiful according to her profile picture. She says she’s happy now, and I’m so glad to hear that.
In her message, Kathy called me “Tonya”, a name I hated, but that my 1st grade teacher, Mrs. Boatwright, called me and made me write on all my papers. When I left elementary school I changed it to my real name, Suzie. It confused the kids I went to school with for six years, but I didn’t care.
I wasn’t Tonya.
Isn’t it funny how we forget the good things that have taken place over time until we are faced with a fact or an image or a person from the past. Images came flooding back as I read her note.
I remember the teen that I once was, but years and God and life and love have changed me so much. When I speak I say, “I wish I could go back and sit with that hurting 13-year old that I once was and wrap my arms around her and tell her ‘it’s going to be okay’”. I wish I had known then what I know now: God has a purpose for each life. He’s there in the tough times. He grieves over the hurt in a child’s life when he or she is faced with chaos. He redeems those times with his strength, redirection, and love.
I look forward to reconnecting with Kathy. Her profile says “Christian”. Perhaps that is one more thing we can talk about. I love hearing stories about Christ and what He has done in the lives of people.
Suzie
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