The People Who Knew Us Before We Became Ourselves
How lucky am I?
That was the thought running through my head a few weeks ago while I sat on a Zoom call.
On the screen were some very familiar faces.
Friends I’ve had for more than fifty years.
The women on that call whom I’ve known since freshman year of high school, and two of them have been in my life since we were in fifth grade. When you do the math, that’s more than 50 years of friendship.
We all grew up in Youngstown, Ohio and attended a small-ish Catholic high school, Cardinal Mooney High School.
Back then, we were just a group of teenage girls trying to figure things out. High school life revolved around classes, football games, dances, and whatever drama felt like the end of the world that week. We talked endlessly about boys, stressed about tests, and tried to imagine what our lives might look like when we were “grown up.”
What none of us could have imagined was this:
Five decades later, we would still be in each other’s lives.
Life took us in different directions. We moved to different places, built careers, raised families, and experienced all the things that come with a full life. There have been joys, challenges, surprises, and losses.
There were stretches where we didn’t see each other for years.
But somehow, through all those years and all that distance, one thing remained true.
The thread of friendship never broke.
These days we gather on Zoom. Not exactly what we pictured when we were 17 and sitting in the CMHS cafeteria, but it works.
When the call starts, there is always a moment of joyful chaos. Everyone is talking at once. Someone laughing before they have even finished saying hello. The inevitable “Can you hear me?” and “Wait… you’re muted!”
And then the stories begin.
We catch up on families, grandchildren, travels, and everyday life. Mixed into those conversations are the memories that only people who have known you for half a century can share.
Someone mentions a teacher and suddenly we are back in that classroom. A dance or football game comes up and the details start pouring out. Who we went with, what we wore, and who made us laugh the hardest.
The laughter is immediate and effortless.
These women knew me when I was awkward and unsure, long before careers, marriages, and all the roles we step into as adults. They knew the original version of me.
And through all the years and all the changes life brings, that connection is still there.
Why Lifelong Friendships Matter
Friendships like this are rare. Not everyone gets to hold onto people who knew them when they were 10, 14, or 17 years old. Life gets busy. People move. Sometimes friendships fade.
But every once in a while, a group stays connected.
And when you come back together, it feels like no time has passed at all.
As I sat there on that Zoom call, listening to the laughter and watching those familiar faces, I felt a deep sense of gratitude.
Not just for the memories we share.
But for the fact that we are still making new ones.
Fifty years later.
Who could have predicted that friendships that started in a high school hallway in Youngstown, Ohio would still be going strong in our 60s?
Certainly not the teenage girls we once were.
But here we are.
Still talking.Still laughing.Still showing up for one another.
And every time we hang up, I find myself thinking the same thing.
How lucky am I?
The Recipe That Tastes Like Home
Ode to the Chocolate Chip Cookie - the Gluten Free Version. Trust me, it’s just as good as the regular version; some argue that it’s even better. Apparently I have a lot to say about Chocolate Chip Cookies and it became a whole separate blog post!