When I was in the third grade, I lived in a suburb of Salt Lake City, Utah. I was the only minority child in my class at Lincoln Elementary School. It was not that long after the end of World War II, and I was a Japanese American. I experienced some minor racism and prejudice because of my ethnicity, but life was good with friends.
There were two girls in my class whom I remember well. I can’t say that I remember any of the rest of my classmates from that year. Linda was a pretty, blonde girl. Judy had brown hair which she regularly wore in pigtails. They were best friends, but somehow they included me and the other girls in the class as friends also.
There was a religious meeting for children one day a week after school at the church across the street. It was for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and I was not a member of that church. However, I enjoyed going to be with the other children. The classes were in age ranges so I was in the church class with kids who were in my class at school. Judy was a member of that church so I went to class with her. Linda was a member of another church, and she did not go with us to the after school meeting.
The next year when we were in the fourth grade, I continued to go with Judy to the church class after school once a week. Then my family moved away in the middle of the year. I never saw Judy or Linda again, and I never wrote to them or made any contact with them from that time forth.
When I moved away, I again went to the children’s church class after school once a week in the new area. Then after a while, I and my family joined the church. It became a large part of our lives.
Life went on with school, college, work, marriage, and children. We moved several times which included to California, back to Utah, to Virginia, and then back to Utah. When I returned to Utah the last time with the internet and social media being readily available, I decided that maybe I should try to contact Judy after all this time had passed.
Over the years I thought of Judy off and on, but I never made contact. I appreciated her being kind to me although I never told her. I was able to find information about her on the internet even though I only had her childhood name. Unfortunately, the information was in her obituary as she had passed away a few years before that time.
With the amazing technology available to us today, old friends can be found with connections on Email, Facebook, and other social media. Relationships can once again be picked up after many years of absence. Just don’t wait too long. Old friendships can be rekindled, and old friends can bring joy into one’s life.
