Make new friends, but keep the old

Oh that overused, very annoying cliche from my Girl Scout years!  I had to use it because it has a secondary meaning in this case.  I've mentioned before the joy that is facebook and its ability to reconnect us with our past (okay, sometimes that's not such a joy); In the past year, since I joined that adictive social monstrosity, I have connected, or reconnected, with over 300 of my "closest" friends.  What???  How did that happen?  Before I knew it I was denying friend requests and actually "hiding" certain people from my actions feed so that I would be able to find and keep up with the daily events of those I really care about (and if you're reading this, you're one of them, I promise).  But in that process, called social networking by those who actually know how to use it to their best advantage, I was able to find some of those people who really, truly, are good old friends, and those reconnections have been delightful. 

This week Calvin and I spent two separate days with two of my friends from my elementary school/Girl Scout years and their children.  The first day we drove over to Battle Creek to meet my friend and her son, only a few months younger than Calvin, at Binder Park Zoo.  We love Binder Park Zoo.  I can't say that the boys did too much interacting, although they were both equally intrigued with running in circles around the gazebo and waving to the train and engineer as it went by, but I had a great time catching up with my friend and meeting her children.  Also, we got to feed the giraffes, and that always makes for a great Binder Park visit.  Then today we drove to Plymouth to spend the better part of the morning and afternoon with another close friend and her daughter, only two days older than Calvin.  Those two, for whatever reason, are pretty wonderful together.  They actually play together, sometimes converse, and usually even take turns.  It's a match made in heaven, and I don't mean for them–I'm talking about us moms being able to sit and chat while the two kids play well together all on their own.  Really.  Heaven.  So whoever said you can't go back?  They were right.  But then again, who really wants to?  Especially when going forward is so darn much fun.