All About Me in 28 Days (Day 21)

Today, I write about someone that I miss very much.  But, can you believe it?  After decades of knowing this person, I don’t have a single photograph of her!  I mean, good grief, hubby is even a photographer and we vacation together.  Aaarrrrgggghhhh!

The person that I find myself missing today is my friend Karen.  She lives about 5 hours North-ish from me, so we don’t get to see each other nearly as often as we would like to.  In so many ways, Karen has been a touchstone in my life since we were in the 7th grade together.

As kids, we would roller skate and walk back and forth between our homes.  We were constant companions, often including her sister, Janice, who was a year younger.  We would lay out in the sun for hours in my backyard.  They would have gorgeous tans and I would turn red, and it would all be gone by morning, so we’d start over again.  I certainly didn’t have a Vitamin D deficiency back then!

I was heartbroken when her family moved about an hour away.  I was almost 14 and had no way to go and see her, but she sent me a letter and told me where she was and about her new school (and all the cute boys in it).  It was almost as good as being with her.

Over the years, we continued to write to each other through several moves on both sides, about everything and nothing.  I lived for those long, handwritten letters (although now we are more likely to text or email).  We were attendants in each other’s weddings.

Now, Karen will enjoy her 25th anniversary this year, and I will do the same next year.  We both have kids (she has two girls, I have two boys) that get along famously.  Each year, we do our very best to convene the madness inherent in such a group to Jekyll Island, Georgia to relax, play, catch up–and gorge on Wild Caught Georgia Shrimp.

Gotta love that!