Life Long & Relatively Recent Friends....

I grew up in a little, little town.  I can remember making the drag when I first got my license.  Around the school parking lot, turn left, turn right at 2210, down to the Baptist church parking lot, turn around and back again. If I wanted to make the long drag - then we would turn right out of the school parking lot, go down to this road (which actually leads to the land I now have in Perrin), then to 2210 and take a right, Baptist church, and back again.

Across from that Baptist church parking lot was a sweet home inhabited by a grandmother.  I don't remember much about the grandmother except she had the most wonderful "thing" I could think of when I was growing up....

A granddaughter named Cheryl.

If I was as good as keeping up with stuff as my mom - I would be able to take a picture of my address book from those early days - and show you Cheryl Franklin's address.

She went to school with me when she would come to visit.

We wrote letters - just like pen pals.

Then as time continued - somewhere along the way we stopped writing.  (Side note: that's one reason I LOVE facebook- email and such.  There is less room to drop out of touch.)

Facebook - oh yes I love how I can find people!

Here's my message to her when I came upon her name on Facebook:

Roll Tide

Oh you must accept my friend request (here's hoping you remember me!) and tell me about your connection to the University of Alabama... I have a son who is living in Montgomery and we figured out real quick one had to pick between the 2 major universities in Alabama and we rolled with the Tide. Hope to hear from you....

February 21, 2011 9:21 pm

Here is part of her response:


Oh my goodness! As in the Cheryl Cannon from Perrin that I used to tag along to school with?? Oh I can't believe this!! And an Alabama connection at that?? How did you know we were Alabama fans? Actually to say that would be a huge understatement-haha!



Fast forward 2 years from that Facebook exchange....

I met her at a Barnes & Noble in Arlington - I told her "I am obvious" to describe how she would remember me!  I had to wear the Alabama shirt....

Cheryl & her husband lived in Alabama for 10 years and even got to attend games in Tuscaloosa (I am jealous....) - her father in law played for Bear Bryant at Texas A&M.  After visiting with Cheryl in Arlington - I suspect that Alabama still holds a dear place in her heart.  (that state has a way of doing that to the least expecting people....)

I did leave that meeting a bit heart broken.

It seems that Cheryl's family traveled & lived a bunch between those going to school days with me and college for her in Brownwood.  She even moved to a place about 10 minutes from where I was living.  She finished her last year and a half of high school - 15 minutes from me.  It wasn't so great for her - and you can imagine..... moving to a new high school the last year and a half of school in a state you had not lived in before - with zero connections......

We would have been the best of friends - forever without the break in time... so ....

Now we pick back up - we text during college football season - and she visits her parents up this direction - and I think I should visit her near her home - down by the coast....

Thankful I found Cheryl  -my life long friend - just relatively recent all over again...

Roll Tide

Always, May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. 2 Corinthians 13:14.