I grew up on Clinton Street, and we moved there shortly before my 1st birthday. Kim's family moved in next door a few years after, and she became my very first friend.
I have lots of memories of going over to her house, ringing the doorbell, and asking, "Can Kim come over to my house and play?" When she came over, we would take our Barbies "camping" in my back yard, where my daddy had built an elaborate rock garden (our mountains) and fish pond (our lake). Sometimes if it had rained, we would move our Barbie family to the drainage ditch between our houses (the river).
While it was fun to have Kim come to my house, playing at her house was definitely more fun. Her father was an evangelist who traveled, and we had all kinds of fun playing in his office when he was gone. When he was home, we got to play in his travel trailer, which became our pretend house. Kim was the oldest of four children, and her younger siblings were always entertaining as well. One time I remember Kim and I feeding her baby brother dead flies we found in the window sill. Surprisingly, he survived to adulthood, and I think he's even completely normal.
I don't remember exactly how old I was, but at some point in the middle of my childhood Kim's family moved to the Dallas area. Kim and I stayed in touch by writing letters to each other, which we always ended with "Sorry So Short and Sloppy, Longer Letter Later." Kim's grandmother lived a short bike ride away from my house, so whenever Kim visited her Grandma, I got to see her and play with her, keeping our friendship fresh. Sometimes she would come over to our house to spend the night, and other times I would spend the night with her at her grandmother's house. And when I got in high school and our band would travel to the Dallas area to perform, I would always find a pay phone and give Kim a call. (Yes, that was before the days of cell phones!)
When I got married, Kim was a natural pick for one of my bridesmaids - after all, she was my very first, and longest friend! We continued to stay in touch, but then life got really hectic - Kim (who is a few years younger than me) went to college in Oklahoma, and I started having babies. Gradually, we lost touch. I heard she got married, and that she was having children of her own. Years passed, and then one day I found out her grandmother had passed away. I was able to locate Kim, and it was good to reconnect through mail.
A few years ago, Kim and I found each other again on Facebook. I learned that she would be in Longview, having a garage sale with her sisters and mother at her grandmother's old house, as they were getting ready to sell it. I drove over to see Kim. It had been years, but when I saw her, all of my childhood came rushing back.
I'm thankful for Kim, and that I had a friend like her while I was growing up. We grew together, and had an idyllic childhood of pretending, roaming the neighborhood, playing in the woods, putting on "shows," and spending many summer days from dawn til dusk together. I never recall having any conflicts between us, which is remarkable. Kim helped me learn how to have a friend, and how to be one, on the most basic level. I'm quite sure that the things I learned by being Kim's friend have helped me in other relationships throughout my life. And even though we may not interact often with each other now, she will always have a special place in my heart.
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