Friendships....lost and found

FLASHBACK: Eight years ago, circumstances left me groping in the dark. I was living in Cebu and killing time between work and home. I've lost all semblance of the social life I once had. My only light then was the love of my life (now my hubby).

From being the "darling" of everyone, I became a social pariah. I tried my best to stay under the radar - I resigned from the job I loved so much because life at the office was getting too heated up, I stayed away from the more popular hang out places to avoid stares and further talk.

Don't get me wrong, my love life was in the upswing then and I wouldn't have had it any other way. But I can't help but look back at the friendships I lost, the life I had to bid goodbye to. I was saying farewell to 3 years worth of memories and good times. Believe me, there were plenty of sleepless nights those days. There wasn't a day I didn't think about these people on the pictures - wondering how they were, were they alright?

FAST FORWARD TO TODAY: It is now 2008 and a lot has happened since. "All water under the bridge" as the popular saying goes. By the grace of God, I was able to rediscover lost friendships and rekindle all good memories. To say that our bond now is stronger would be an understatement. We've all been through hell and back and the depth of the relationship we share now reflect the strength and resilience of spirit that we all have.

We don't see each other as often as we used to but whenever we get the chance to be together, you'll feel a different kind of bond that was never there before. All of us entered the same roof at work, became colleagues, then friends, weathered differences and came out as a family.

Family....this is what we are now...a mother and her daughters - not by blood, but by love.