Lordy, lordy, look who's...

I had to do something this week I have dreaded for a long time. I had to buy my childhood best friend a 40th birthday card.

You know what that means ... The "I'm 40" snowball has started rolling down hill, picking up speed and picking up classmates along the way and heading straight for me! I wonder if it will melt by June... Fat chance.

Thanks for getting that started, Julie! Seriously, it's a privilege to send birthday wishes to someone I celebrated the other milestone birthdays with: 13 (We're teens!); 16 (Let's drive!); 18 (Oh boy, here comes college!); 21 (We can legally drink the beer we've been consuming in college!); and 30 (which seemed old until today).

The first time I met Julie I was 8 years old. All the third-graders in the Luck School District were taking a field trip to the Shrine Circus. This meant us kids out in the country elementary school (Oak Hill) got to go with the town kids and the East Luck school third-graders. Julie recalls seeing my twin sister and me sitting on the bus together. I don't recall meeting Julie that day, but for some reason remember buying a laser-gun shaped flashlight at the circus.

Two years later, when a school fire prompted a much-needed expansion of the main school in town, the "country schools" closed and all the students were in one building. That was when I really met her, our friendship began and, I'm blessed to say, has not faded in 3 decades. (Oh gosh. Now we do sound old!)

Well somebody had to go first -- and I'm glad it wasn't me. (Except she'll be laughing at me in 10 years when she can get the AARP discounts before me!) I'm sure in 6 months, Julie will have much wisdom to impart to us young whipper-snappers.

In the meantime, Julie, a sincere happy birthday! May you receive as many wonderful blessings as your friendship has brought to me!