An OLD friend from high school texted me yesterday

He asked if I ever fly back to Tennessee for holidays. I said no of course not. I've been estranged from my family there for years. He said that since my mom passed last year, he wanted to extend an invitation for me to have Thanksgiving with him and his husband this year. 🥹

This man is and has always been one of the sweetest people I've ever known. We met during our freshman year of high school and were instant inseparable friends. He knew about my family, how my mom neglected me and my brother. He'd bring us food any time he visited. He and a few of my other high school friends chipped in and purchased a yearbook for me because they knew my mom didn't give me money for such things. He came out of the closet in high school and got bullied a lot but I was one of the people who remained his friend and accepted him as he was.

We stayed in touch after high school for a while. He got his degree in fashion design and textiles, I moved far from my toxic family and went to a technical college. We kept in touch for a while, but as we entered our 30s, our lives just became too different and we lost touch except for Facebook.

It was so sweet of him to think of me after all these years. Of course, I can't accept his invitation (I'm still in between jobs and there's no way I could fly out there). But the fact that he remembered me restored a little of my faith in humanity. 💓