Where Are They Now?

Do you ever think of people you have known in your past?  You know…  The ones that once touched some part of you, or maybe, the ones you have hurt before?  I believe that everyone we meet is brought into our lives at a certain time, for a certain reason, though often that reason remains a mystery.  Do you ever wonder where they are, how they have fared in this life?  With the internet and sites like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, it seems so much easier to find people.  Ten years ago, when I thought of someone from my youth, I had no idea where they might have gone.  Now, once in a while, I think of someone and run across them on Facebook or LinkedIn.  For a brief moment, I am connected with someone who helped to shape me, to mold me into the person I continue to become.  As a strong extrovert, I take bits and pieces from the outside world and the people I meet, into myself. 

There are those who were just acquaintances, but maybe there was a common thread that we shared at one time or another, usually a very tenuous one, such as working at the same place.  Sometimes, I can’t help but wonder…  Where are they now?  Are they happy and healthy?

There are those to whom I was once close.  You know the ones…  For a time, they are your best friend, and then something happens.  One of you moves, one of you has major changes in your personal lives (think marriage, kids, even divorce or widowhood), or one of you just moves on to other things and other people.  One day, you look up and realize, “Wow!  I haven’t talked to so and so in ten years!”  When you look back, you remember how close you once were, how you did almost everything together, how you would talk every day, and how you couldn’t imagine what it would be like to not have that person in your life.  Now, as you look around, you realize they are no longer a part of your life, and you have managed without them for all these years.  Where are they now?  How well have they got on?

Over the years, I have seen many people come and go, and I’ve seen those who have come and stayed.  Never has this been more true than the past nine months.  After Grubby died, I never would have guessed that the people who reach out are who they are.  I never would have foreseen his closest friends reaching out to me and carrying me along this path.  I’m glad they have.  Perhaps they need to feel close to him and being around Abby and me makes them feel close to him.  I know that it helps me to hear them share about him, their memories, a recording of his voice, or his picture.  I am forever grateful to those who aren’t afraid to speak his name to me, who aren’t afraid to share their feelings with me, who aren’t afraid of me sharing mine…

There are others who have stopped reaching out, and I accept that maybe they don’t know what to say, maybe they are at a loss.  I try to remember that not everyone has the words, but sometimes, it saddens me when I realize that my regular contacts are not the same as they once were.  It makes me wonder, were we really as close as we thought we were, as we often said we were?  Or was it just a pretty picture from the outside, but one without real depth? 

So, I sometimes become curious what happened to this or that person.  Some have passed on, some have gone on to have spouses and kids, and some, I will never know.  However, I will continue to think of them sometimes, when I hear a certain song, or eat a certain meal, or see someone from a distance…