"Make new friends, but keep the old…” is the opening line to a song I still recall from my childhood Brownie Troop days…
When you move away from your hometown, it’s inevitable that you’ll lose contact with some friends, mentors, and people who have had an impact on your life.
Well, in returning home, I’ve been blessed to reconnect with individuals I knew as a child, friends from college, former colleagues from working in commercial real estate, and mentors who guided me along the way.
There are simply no words to describe the comfort I find in these relationships - in these amazing people. I’m in awe of the families they’ve created, the lives they have built, and the impact they have had our community.
Familiar faces at the baseball field, at the grocery store, at the doctor’s office, at school, at church, and in my neighborhood. My cup runneth over with gratitude for the love that surrounds me.
I grew up in Virginia Beach thanks to my grandfather’s career in the Navy. An aviator, commander, and four-star admiral, Papa was humble, reserved, and as I remember him, quite witty. His wife, my grandmother, still lives in Alanton. She is kind and also has a wonderful sense of humor.
My parents met through my aunt and uncle when my mother was leasing and managing a horse farm (that is now my neighborhood). I’ve always felt a magnetic pull towards Green Hill Farms - maybe this is why.
I think this might be a love letter to the friends who have touched my life over the past three years. Thank you. Thank you for lifting me up, for loving my little, for your interest in the path I paved, for your kind words, for your encouragement, for making me feel like no time has passed, for welcoming me back into the fold, for your warmth, and for your love. It means more to me than you’ll ever know.
And to my new friends. The song continues “one is silver, and the other gold.” But to me, you too, are golden.