Once in awhile I look back over events in my life. I think about people I knew in the past and present and one name seems to reoccur. This name, or a derivative of it, has been present at just about every junction of my life. Of course you have probably guessed it by now.
The first has been mentioned earlier in this blog (July 21) and his name is Christopher. My first friend and longest held friend. Treehouse and childhood spirit. Still my friend today.
The second is Christine. We were briefly friends in first and second grade. She liked dolls, I liked treehouses and baseball. She taught me that there are distinct perceptual differences between boys and girls.
The third is Kristine. My best friend in high school. A smiling, laughing, kind-hearted soul. Alas, I recently visited her headstone at the Catholic cemetery. Rest in peace my friend, fellow voyager of the teenage, boy-crazy years. I smile at the memories of our first boy-girl parties, whispered crushes and multiple drive-by passes of the homes of boys we were crazy about.
The fourth is Christopher also. This person may be reading this blog (you know who you are!), so instead of divulging shared feelings and secrets on a public forum, I will just say that this person was the first serious love relationship in my life. It was intense, surreal at times, and left some scars which I treasure. I love this person very much still and am blessed that we remain very close friends. Our bodies have changed but the souls are the same. Incredibly, his wife, whom I am fond of, is named Christine.
The fifth is Christian. An adult romance that taught me a lot about trust and lack of it. My first taste of betrayal. An opportunity to apply my intuition toward my best interests and act on it before making serious mistakes. We actually retain a fondness for each other and correspond frequently, although from a distance.
The sixth is Kristen. I was her literacy tutor for 6 months and we remain friends. Kristen taught me a lot about people with disabilities and how normal they are, compared to the rest of us! I learned much about patience and that remarkably, I had lots of it!
I’m sure if I think hard enough I’ll come up with some more Chrisses. These are the milestone Chrisses.
And there’s one name that’s the most important in my life: Bill. My husband, man of a thousand nicknames. The one I love. A common name, but the only one in my life.
Quantum Leaps 
My life seems to be filled with Stacey’s and Tracey’s funny how it seems tow work like that.