When Sharon was diagnosed with cancer two months ago, everything changed.
The way I looked at the world.
The way I thought.
My priorities.
I realized that the list of things in this world that truly make me happy is a rather small list. And high on that list are my friends. I've always made friends easily, but I haven't kept up with many of the friends that I once knew. Then along came Facebook, and suddenly, at my fingertips, were many of the people I once knew. Many people I thought I might never see again. Which brings me to yesterday...
Through the magic of Facebook, (and texting, and phone calls and every other form of communication we couldn't have imagined eighteen years ago) I had a wonderful afternoon, with some dear and long lost friends. Face to face.
As it should be.
Occasionally, you will find someone who can't let go of high school. It was the greatest time of their lives.
If those three years were the best of your life, you need to get out more -- It's a big, beautiful world out there. But high school is an intense social experience, and we forge relationships that can endure. Yesterday six old friends gathered in a park to reminisce, to talk of life and love, of heartache and disappointment, of memories and blessings and of the hand life had dealt each of us.
One is my best friend whom I have spoken with nearly everyday of my life. One I hadn't seen in nearly twelve years, the others it had been almost eighteen. We're all in our mid-thirties now -- that was a lifetime ago.
Two of us were once a couple, but no one is married to anyone else. Two of us are twins -- who are actually triplets, one of whom has twins of her own. Two of us live in the middle of nowhere -- one in Utah, one in Arizona. Four of us have lost our fathers. We have eighteen children between us -- one has seven, one has no children. One has lived a few miles from me for nearly thirteen years, and I had no idea. We have all been married, but two are no longer. Life has not been easy for anyone, but yesterday I sensed happiness in each of us.
For that I am grateful.
A whole bunch of Balls.
Aaron wanted to know what the macro setting on my camera does. It takes very close up pictures of your nose. I edited out the big black hair.
You're welcome.
Apparently the maturity level just got to be too much for Dave!
The toes of a very hungry and very tired three year old.
Which of these two is not like the other...
Reminiscing on going to the Homecoming Dance with my best friend's girlfriend, so he could go with someone else. All according to his plan...I had a great time Ellen!
I realized at this point what the kids were doing with the kite.
Okay, Dave isn't the only one with maturity issues...
We hugged, and ate and talked of the roads we have travelled and the joy of seeing each other again.
We laughed.
A lot.
Ellen, Beki, Esther, Dave and Aaron...thank you for a wonderful afternoon. Let's not wait another eighteen years before we do it again.
March 19: Here's Matthew playing his favorite position -- keeper. Matt inherited his father's athletic ability: 
March 20: This is Matthew. He's dancing. 
March 21: This was such a wonderful day. I've already referenced it in my previous post, but today I got together with some long lost friends. I went in to the day with a little trepidation, wondering if I would have anything to say to people I hadn't seen in 18 years. It turns out we had a lot to say. It was a happy day. (Oh, these are the toes of my friend Ellen's three year old daughter -- the rest of her is pretty darn cute too!)
March 22: Have you ever played Liar's Dice? It's also called Perudo, Pirate's Dice, and probably a lot of other things. If you have seen Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, it's the game that Will and his father play with Davy Jones. 
March 23: Another old friend. Spring! 
March 24: Self Portrait. Something new I'm adding this week -- a self portrait a week (until I get bored with it anyway). And yes, that is what I look like -- I generally have that thing attached to my face.
March 25: I'm sitting in my car waiting to see another old and dear friend, and it's raining.
If you look in the background, you'll notice that the kids are in the process of hi-jacking some poor woman's kite.
March 12: Black and Whites in black and white. My piano is a battle scarred veteran of five moves, and she holds up a lot better in monochrome. 
March 14: The Texas Toast was nice and Texasy, and the steak was medium well. But, I ordered Chili's takeout for one thing -- The Loaded Mashed Potatoes! Cheese, chives, bacon, dirt from the ground -- I'm not sure what all is loaded in these potatoes.
March 15: Jackson's toes -- we got to see him again today. That's more than I've seen him in the last six months. Jackson is fascinated by his extremities and puts on quite a show with his hands and his little feet. 
March 16: Someday she's going to hate me for taking these pictures, but for now Emma is a willing accomplice. That's macaroni and cheese. If you look real close you can see the chocolate around her mouth, which of course indicates that I let her have desert before dinner. 
March 17: Kiss Me, my great-great-great grandmother was Irish! I LOVE St. Patrick's Day. All you have to do is wear green -- and if you enjoy getting pinched, you don't have to wear anything at all. 
March 18: My son is odd. 
