Smile Because It Happened...

• Don't Cry Because It's Over...Smile Because It Happened.-Dr. Seuss
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• Natalie came home a couple of months ago and told me there was a new girl in school from Texas and all the boys were crazy about her and she just KNEW it was because boys just liked the new girls!
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  A few days passed and one day Natalie said, "Is it ok if Gracie spends the night?" I said, "Sure! Gracie C?" She said, "No, Gracie G, the new girl." I said, "I thought you didn't like her because all the boys were ga-ga over her?" She said, "I can't help it mom. I just like her."
  
  
  And so it began.
  
  
  The next day I had to meet her mom. I met her in the bus loop of the school and out jumped this beautiful, petite, blonde ball of energy to shake my hand and introduce herself. I sent her an email that next day just kind of introducing myself and trying to welcome her to the area. She seemed nice enough and if I moved to a new place where I didn't know a soul, I would hope someone would make friends with me. It was the neighborly thing to do, after all, right?
  
  
  Then we started having lunch every Wednesday. And we had lots of laughs and talked about serious stuff and silly stuff. I stalked her Pinterest and realized we had so many similar interests and taste (well minus exercise, in spite of her begging and pleading!) 
  
  
  Just like Natalie and Gracie, I liked Brandy, too...and I just couldn’t help it.  
  
  
  We made a date to go to the Flea Market together and while we didn't find much of anything, we made lots of memories. We went shopping in downtown Lewisburg in some of the shops that I had never been in--and probably never would've because they just seemed too hoity toity. Brandy showed me how to confidently waltz on in the hoity toity shops just like anybody else. She had to live through my lack of parallel parking that day. I have no idea how I didn't get towed because I had to have been ten feet from the curb. 
  
  
  She was so proud of me when I sent her a pic the next day of my tires close to the curb with a "nailed it" slapped on it! Ha!
  
  
  We had more lunches and the girls spent  all their free time together. Brandy texted one morning and asked if I wanted to go to Roanoke. Honestly I didn't. I had stuff to do but something kept telling me to just go and have fun and make memories. So I did. And I'm so glad I did.  And we had a blast. We shopped and we did silly things and we told stories and we listened and we ate (I ate a lot.) And I was reminded that spending time with people was way more important than getting the floors mopped.
  
  
  We had WVU tickets to the Texas game. We couldn't go and we asked the Texas natives if they wanted to go and take the girls. They got up early and headed up to Morgantown and had a great time and memories were made.
  
  
  Brandy and I just didn't have to try very hard. We just effortlessly clicked from the beginning and she has become one of my closest friends in such a short time. I have been looking forward to parties and milestones and fun along our way and while I was riding home from a basketball game week before last, Natalie said, "Gracie's moving back to Texas."
  
  
  "WHAT?"
  
  
  "Yeah her dad's job is taking them back to Texas."
  
  
  I started immediately texting Brandy... "Omg are y'all moving back?"
  
  
  "Probably but nothing is set in stone. We wanted to be sure before we said anything.”
  
  
  And then I got kind of frantic and I was mad at myself because if I would’ve known they were going to be leaving so soon, I wouldn’t have let myself get that close. And then it just hit me like a ton of bricks and I cried off and on for three solid days. Natalie and I had a couple of nights where she was crying in one bed and I was crying in the bed next door. And then I'd cry more because not only was I sad that I was losing my friend, but my daughter was losing her best friend. And that is hard at any age but that is SO HARD when you are 13. And watching your child hurt is a whole different kind of hurt. 
  And here’s another lesson--always do things fully and with your whole heart—even if you might shed tears at the end—it’s always worth it.
  
  
  It breaks my heart that we have to say goodbye...and I know that it’s 2015 and we can stay in touch and text and Facetime and even visit but we all know it's never going to be the same. And that's sad and Natalie and I are a little broken-hearted.
  
  
  Gracie stayed with us last weekend and she made a special ornament for our Christmas tree and we sent her family an ornament with pieces of the Virginian Review newspaper decoupaged on it so she'd have a piece of Alleghany County with her always.
  
  
  And while we have our special ornaments, we know that a piece of Alleghany County will always be with them because they will carry it in their hearts and we will have a Texas size hunk forever etched in ours.
  
  
  And I really am happy that Brandy & Jason & Gracie get to go back home to their family & friends. I just wish Texas wasn't so far away.
  
  
  So today, on Thanksgiving, I am thankful for destiny...for chance meetings...divine intervention...call it what you want. I am thankful for the way the universe conspires to bring people into our lives, sometimes forever, and sometimes only for a short time, to leave huge prints on our hearts.
  
  
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