I love my friends! A lot!

Well, I kept telling everyone it was going to be an interesting week and I wasn't wrong.

Facebook has been a wonderful way for me to find old friends and discover ways to connect with them again. I was able to do it again this week and what fun it was!

A few months ago, my college roommate, Nancy posted something on her wall about Young Frankenstein playing in Chicago. I mentioned I would love to see that (one of my favorite Mel Brooks movies ever) and all of a sudden we were solidifying plans and I had a ticket to see it with her. I haven't seen Nancy in 25+ years and while it was wonderful to reconnect with her online, it was time to do it in person.

Then, in the middle of this, another college friend, Melodie realized that I would be showing up in her city (Chicago) and we should hook up for a few hours! What a deal!

Bright and early Thursday morning I crawled out of bed at the cabin and began the trip to Chicago, filled with anticipation and a little dread (over the drive and the logistics). I got to the James R. Thompson Center a bit early, settled in with my Kindle and waited. Before I knew it, I heard "Hello!" and there was Melodie. I hugged her and we spent the next several hours discovering what had been going on in each others lives for the last couple of decades (that's really odd to consider - how can time pass so quickly!).

I think one of the weirdest things that has occurred to me as I've reconnected with so many of my friends is how much I didn't know about what was occurring around me. It's funny, there were so many personality intricacies and events happening and I was oblivious to a lot of them. Safer that way? Maybe. But, as much as I pay attention to things these days and am extremely observant of interpersonal relationships, I'm stunned at what I missed when I was younger.

Nancy and her daughter, Martha made their way to us after taking the train in from the Kenosha area and they 'passed the friend.' We waited for Nancy's other daughter, Erin and her boyfriend to find us, talked for awhile and made our way to an awesome sandwich shop for some supper. It was pretty cool to see the young girl that I met when she was a naive freshman at Coe with her two oldest girls who are stunningly beautiful, extremely talented, bright and who love their mom like crazy. I always wonder what has happened with my old friends, hope that they are happy, hope they've seen the successes they've looked for and pray that they are doing well. It's terrific to discover where their joys and contentment are and it's amazing to find them facing similar stresses and craziness as I do.

After dinner, we headed for the theater and a WONDERFUL show. In 2001, Mel Brooks took "The Producers" to Broadway. I'd seen the traveling show when it came to Omaha and loved it. When I saw that he was redoing "Young Frankenstein" for Broadway, I could hardly wait. The musical was worth it. It was bawdy, hilarious, familiar, with an excellent cast and some pretty cool lighting special effects. We laughed for several hours. I tried really hard to not be at all uncomfortable with the fact that this absolutely 'raw' script was being performed in front of Nancy's daughters. (hehe - no, I'm really not that much of a prude ... no, I'm really not!)

Following the play as we made our way out and hugged before she headed to the train station and I headed to my car, I realized that I am grateful for chances to find my friends again. They meant so much to me in different parts of my life and I can hardly believe that I lost touch.

The internet has given me back the people who impacted my life. It has introduced me to new friends along the way. We are so connected in different ways to people and I'm glad that I can have a chance to love my old friends out loud again, while still loving my current friends. I will meet new people throughout the next parts of my life and through all of this ... I get to love and be loved. It's all pretty awesome!