I do not regret the things I've done, but those I did not do - via Lucas in Empire Records

Maybe I am just a little nostalgic after my girls pulled out my senior scrapbook the other day or because I started to reminisce as I did 8 things you may or may not know about me on Facebook, but this is a thought that has been weighing on my mind lately.

I remember very clearly in high school a teacher telling us we would not be as close of friends with our high school friends in 20 years as we were then. At the time I remember not believing her and wanting so badly to be able to come back in 20 years and prove her wrong. But as I just celebrated my 15 year class reunion this summer, I realized even though I wanted her to be wrong, there was some truth to her statement.

With the changes in technology it is easier to virtually connect and keep track of friends in our lives, but I can not remember the last time I actually went out with my friends from high school as a group like we used to.

I put no blame on any of us, life changes and gets busy as we grow up.  We have work, meetings, a husband and kids to take care of, activities to attend and plan, health and life issues to deal with. We no longer have as much free time as we used to, the space between us is much greater then three lockers down the hall, and new friendships have been added over the years.

But as I get ready to give thanks for all I do have and continue to grow as a person, I want to think about how to keep in better touch with the people I grew up with - the ones who could share some silly stories about me or remind me of a lesson I have long forgotten. These are the people who shaped me and helped make me who I am today, how can we so easily let our lives get so busy we forget that? Should we just let that go because we have a time crunch? What can we do to keep in touch?

I know it will never be the same as when we were sharing classes, books, lockers, pencils, and back packs,  but can we do better then an occasional Facebook post, text message, or holiday card? I am not asking for every week or even every month, but why couldn't two or three times a year we pick a location and get together for a few hours. It could be a group supper with the spouses, a night at a wine bar, an afternoon at a coffee shop or bakery, some time at a bounce house building or park (and bring the kids). Could it be done or is that asking too much - are we just to far removed from each other?

Thought I would through in some fun pictures the girls found in the scrapbook!

The  'tail' end - Share any opportunity you use to keep in touch with old friends