Emotional encounters

I've recently been watching 'Long Lost Family' episodes on YouTube (with Davina McCall).

If you like true stories about long lost family members and emotional reunions (along with a few tips about genealogy), then I reckon you'll enjoy these programmes. Be sure to have a few tissues nearby though, some stories are heartwarming, others heartbreaking. Mostly the former.

I have had some lovely experiences in my lifetime, rekindled friendships after years without contact for whatever reason. One friend in particular contacted me after approximately 9 years without hearing from each other. Circumstances changed where we were unable to communicate with each other for a long time but I always knew I'd hear from her again. The day I heard she was searching for me, I cried. And when we spoke again, it was just amazing to hear from her after so long and we now keep in regular contact via texts and occasionally skype! :)

I would like to share a desire I've had for a while though, to find a dear old friend who may still live a big blue sea away.

I'm excited and hopeful about finding her and sharing stories yet feelings of trepidation surge through me. Will she be happy to hear from me after all this time? Will she still like me for who I am? Can the phrase 'friends forever' be uttered again? You see, we lost contact, went different paths. However, over a decade has passed, life moves on. From what I recall, what happened in the past is trivial now... We're both adults now. I'm a wife and a mum. Maybe she's a wife and/or a mum? I would love to know and I feel like this could be a good time to reconnect. I hope she feels similar. I've missed her for years, never forgotten her warm, bubbly, silly sweet nature.

So recently, I was told a little information which I didn't know before. A few minutes on Google, and I see her face again. Albeit from 4 years ago, but still. A new identity, I discover. Married now. I dig a little more. I do believe I have found her and a possible way of contact. But wait... some more familiar faces pop up. Her husband may know people I know right here in my home country... well well... Ireland is a small world...

*Blog saved. Weeks pass. Nearly 2 months, here's an update.*

I was waiting to hear back with bated breath.

Hoping.

Then an unread message popped up on my phone. HELLO! and it is who I hoped it would be. And she sounds happy to hear from me. I'm delighted. Still nervous and slightly scared of rejection yet feeling comfortable enough to find out more. Definitely still delighted. Emotions rush about, I scurry to find words and photos of my family, to describe my life and past 13 years in 13 words:

Graduated, work, Dan, love, wedding, moved alot, sadness, good friends, Jehovah's support, babies!  = 13 words?!

I receive a lovely reply with photos and memories and I'm chuffed. Chuffed to bits that I have found an old friend after so long. She's well, happy and indeed, she is married to an Irish guy who knows people I know! Married the same year as me. Crazy world we live in.

I'm excited to meet again. My friends, especially back when I was an only child and teen, were like extended family then. Losing her, and my other friend mentioned above, was like losing family, to me. I thought about her alot, wondering how she was, was she happy. We had fun as teens, I wonder if we can have fun as adults. One day I hope to find out. Until there, I'm looking forward to rekindling an old friendship with HUGE thanks to Whatsapp, email and Skype. A long way from the snail mail we used back in the late 1990's & early 2000's. Though I do love receiving letters and cards still. A rare treat. It was lovely to hear we both still treasured each other's letters, despite silence, moves and marriage.

I was still giddy, days later.

(I wrote this is May, publishing in November. Second Update: we're still in contact and it's lovely hearing what happens in her life, just as it was when we were younger.)