Heading "Home"

Tomorrow the kids and I are on our way to DE to visit with my parents for about a week. I try and make this trip about once a year. I am really excited this year because I am going to be meeting up with a few of my friends from high school. Some of us haven't seen each other for at least 12 years. It should be fun to catch up and see where life has taken each of us. This trip has gotten me thinking about the importance of friendships and the time we invest in relationships. Since I moved away from "home" almost 11 years ago I have made the effort to keep in touch with a few girls I have known since high school and a few since jr high. I never really understood why that was so important to me. Was it a way to stay connected to a place I had lived my entire life before getting married and moving? I think maybe that was it in the beginning. Now I think it is because these people REALLY know me. They have seen me through struggles, joys, pre-marriage, pre-kids - I guess I feel as though they really "get me". Not that the close friends I have made since moving aren't incredibly important, because they are. I have been blessed with friendships here that have supported me in ways that make me feel like I have established a "family"here so to speak. I guess it is just nice to have friends that know your past and certain things just don't need explaining. So while it is always nice to visit with my parents - I have to say the best part of this trip will be reconnecting to those old "forever" friends.