Frantic Fifteen

The year I turned 15 was a year of changes for me. We had lived in Pennsylvania the previous year in our two-year sojourn to the north before returning to the south. Living in Pennsylvania was very difficult for me. First, I was 14 years old. Is 14 every easy? Second, I just didn't understand the other kids. When my dad told us we were moving back to the south, I was thrilled. I couldn't wait. It was nearing the end of a school year where I was convinced that all the other kids hated me. Imagine my shock when I told my classmates that I was moving and wouldn't be heading off to high school with them and they responded with sadness. I couldn't believe they were going to miss me. They all signed my signature book with the nicest messages about how they wished they had gotten to know me better. I think that was when I realized how easy it was for me to just hide away with a book and escape into other worlds. I actually ended up being sad about leaving and wishing I had tried harder and gotten to know them, too.

Anyway, this was supposed to be about 15. That summer our country celebrated its bicentennial and Dorothy Hamill was America's sweetheart. All the teenage girls got her haircut, including me. We had moved to Panama City Beach where I would finish my high school years and make some very good friends. I had learned my lesson.

When I look back over the last 15 months that we've been waiting for our dossier to move up in line, I have some of those same feelings. Some twinges of what I could have/should have done differently during the wait, but I learned my lesson. I have made some wonderful friends over the last 15 months that I would never have met if I hadn't gone through this wait. This has definitely been a bonding experience. I look forward to seeing these wonderful families form over the coming weeks as our turn approaches.