THIS evening I had a 2 hour informal visit with my friend that I met in 1962 when her oldest daughter was in my 1st grade classroom along with 35 others.....I was so impressed with her and noticed how well groomed the child was with starch ironed little dresses and not a hair out of place with bows on her braids. She was an excellent cook and on occasion I received cookies. sometimes a muffin right out of the oven..............OUR lives went in different directions. She moved her family to Seymour and I had my children and was home with them for several years. After many years and my children were both in school/day care I returned to the work force. I applied and was hired and walked into the the new position on my first day and THERE SHE SAT....WE did a "happy dance" to see each other again----- WE worked closely together for 24 years until I retired after my husband Bob's death... WE have remained close and able to laugh about situations and road trips we took together.....I recall one when we took a little guy to the Women's PRISON in Park Co to see his mother He refused to get out of the car and when we bribed him with ice cream he goes in and then refuses to see her/or know her. ON another road trip to Bloomington w/ a 1st grader to be evaluated at IU He gets in the back seat and belted in and has a small box in his hands....We assumed it was to help him feel secure.... About 1/2 way there I was trying to make conversation and I questioned what was in his box..HE boldly said"IT IS A SNAKE!!!!!!!!" I nearly lost control of the car and it took me a split second to find a driveway to stop the car..... I asked him to see his box as we needed to feed his pet...He reluctantly handed it over THERE WAS NO SNAKE!!!!!!!!!! only bottle caps.rocks and candy papers. The conversation went to the death of the hometown boy on foreign soil...She shared that she lost a brother in VIET NAM and recalled seeing him for the last time....SHE teared up when she recalled her mother's pain....She is the grandmother of the 1/2 brother of our fallen soldier. She stated she knew what the extended family was feeling.-------AT the end of two hours we hugged, cried and promised to see each other at the MEMORIAL for the young man who joined,served and died for all of us on foreign soil HE GAVE HIS ALL!!!!!!!!!!.OH FOR A COUNTRY TO REMEMBER....... mother of the groom dresses for fall