Time Travel

Imagine that in only 2 hours one can travel back 42 years! I tried it and what a trip! 42 years ago 7 high school friends graduated, said goodbye and headed different directions in life. On and off in the first few years they kept in touch but time and distance made the separation more permanent. Life continued...for 42 years.

A couple of the women decided that the 60th birthday year for the seven was a good time to reunite. Numerous emails begin circulating and in a relatively short time 7 friends had planned their reunion...in Galveston, Texas. Not far from Houston where they had shared their high school years. From Tennessee to Colorado and from Oklahoma to parts of Texas we all descended on Galveston Island, gifts, food and music in hand, for a trip back to our youth.

What could I expect after so many years? Some of us had become grandparents while others have no children, some married, some not. I arrived last, many other pieces to my first trip back to Houston in years had to be handled first. And walking into the condo was like walking back in time. Within minutes we were sharing stories, old and new, memories coming flooding back. Music, laughter and a beautiful setting took us back...and brought us forward. Stories happy,some sad, pictures of the past and present shared...7 friends together again!

Local friends brought so much food, combined with gifts, sweets - pralines from new Orleans, cheeses from Vermont, chocolates from Bruges, and more to make this weekend special. Hours spent reminiscing mingled with highlights of 42 years. Some of us have traveled the world, some of us have not. After a delicious lunch at the Mosquito Cafe we drove around and saw the rebuilding after hurricane Ike. Some beautiful new structures lined the streets next to destroyed homes never rebuilt. Old trees that had to be removed have been turned into sculptures in the yards. Stories of sadness of the devastation mixed in with our delightful memories. Life...

Wandering the strand was a great way to spend the afternoon in thankfully, a not too hot day. Before we knew it, it was time to head out for our birthday dinner. Gaidos, a famous seafood restaurant, is turning 100 this year and that is where we went to celebrate. Several of us had memories of eating there with our families long, long ago. We would drive all the way to Galveston on a Sunday for dinner. Not a pleasant memory,but with the comfort of an old memory. I was dressed in a sticky, fancy 'sunday dress' for the long ride to Galveston only to be followed by sitting quietly for a meal that took hours. We shared stories and enjoyed our celebration and the delicious food. I had the famous bisque, stuffed shrimp in bacon with a molasses sauce on brown rice. A friend and I shared a real baked potato, loaded, the way we eat them in Texas. The meal was over, but not the surprises. One friend had emailed a collage of our old pictures to a well known bakery and had a famous lemonade cake made with that as the decoration. This was quite possibly the best cake ive ever had!

A couple more hours and then the birthday day was over. Waking up on Sunday was bittersweet. Such a wonderful reunion was coming to an end, but what a celebration it was! With many hugs and promises to keep in touch, 7 friends left the past and returned to real life...a bit more connected, a bit more comfortable with our age and our past.

Thank you my friends for so many gifts to carry forward!