A few weeks ago I found an old worn briefcase and wondered what was in it. I sat down in the living room and opened it to find a pile of letters and mail that I couldn't, when I was moving, think of a proper place for. I found all kinds of wedding invitations and was saddened by how many those weddings have already ended in failure. But I did find Amy's invitation and put it aside so that I could do my yearly search for her on the internet. I had lost contact with her over five years ago.

Today, I was putting the pile of letters in order and found that invitation. I almost put it away in a permanent type place again, but thought to myself "It won't take but a moment to see if she has found a home on anywho or bigfoot." So I looked. This time around, I found a Amy and Jef, and without worrying about it too much I called the number. I got a beep and hung up. Then I called it back, determined to leave a message. After the beep and several seconds of hesitation I said "Hi, this is Laura. I hope this the same Amy and Jef that I know from several years ago. More specifically Amy, nee Matera from Madison. If this is you, please call me back at ----, and if it isn't I am terribly sorry for the inconvenience."

A few hours later, the phone rang. I picked it up and it was Jef! I couldn't believe it! It worked, I finally found my old friend after so many years. We chatted a bit and then he said that Amy would call me when she returned home from work. A few hours later, she called and we caught up in the course of an hour! She is still married, bought a house and has two adorable little boys. It struck me how familiar it was to talk with her after so long, and I implored her to send me some pictures of her and the boys. She included this one -- the last time I saw her, I was attending to the duty of a bridesmaid at her wedding.

I love nothing more than finding "lost" friends again. What's more, she said she had looked for me too over the years... that is a happy thing to know. :D