Living a Chick Flick

In early April I posted on the loss of a close friend - the brother of a former best-friend. He actually passed away five years ago but I never knew. Because of a silly spat with my friend, I distanced myself from an entire family that had been like a surrogate family to me for many of my pre-teen and teen years. I graduated college, left town and started a new life. Heck, I hardly went back home to see my own family. So time slipped away and some pretty major things happened. Actually, one pretty major thing - the sudden, premature loss of someone that I loved. It stings deeply that five years went by before I was even made aware of the event.

Circumstances have arisen and I will be headed home in a few days to spend exclusively with this family as they celebrate a wedding. My young son will also make the trip so that these people, that had such an impression on my life, will be able to meet one of my sons for the first time. Likewise, I will also get to meet my friend's three children.

Because of a squabble, we missed each others weddings, the birth of the other's children and the death of a loved one, her brother. What can I say? The price in lost memories was much too high. I advise you try to avoid the same mistake.

And here I am - in the middle of made-in-hollywood "Chick Flick". It has been fifteen years and there is a lot of baggage to go through. Where do you start? (By the way - as a novice film-critic, I hate chick flicks, so this post is really deep for me!)

Mid April I went back home and visited the parents and the older sister of my friend. It was a wonderful, but short, visit. I did not see my long lost friend. Next weekend is going to be very interesting for me and I am looking forward to it. It will be hard at times, even though I've spoken with my friend over the phone we have yet to speak of the fact that her brother died. The weekend will definitely be emotionally charged for many different reasons.

I'm betting on the rewards of re-establishing these multiple friendships and it is my full intention to become as close as I can to this family once again.

Stay tuned.