JAMES HAWK SMITH

Edith, Carol, and Linda

Linda, Edith and Me

---------------------------------------On Saturday, September 29, 2007, we all met at Carol's daughter (Karen's) house in Columbia. It had been about 38 years since we had seen each other. We were best friends when we were growing up in St. Joseph, Tn.(a very small town in Lawrence County). We went to school with each other from 1st grade through high school. And we were best friends all of those years.

About 3 years ago, I was thinking that I would really like to contact Edith. I went on the internet and tried to find her, but to no avail. Anyway, after several weeks of trying, Edith sent me a Christmas card. First time ever since we had lost contact that she had sent me a Christmas card. Anyway, we started e-mailing each other. She had Carol's e-mail, so I got that from her and started e-mailing Carol. Another friend of ours from high school was e-mailing all of us. Anyway, Linda asked him to e-mail us and see if she could have our e-mail addresses. Of course, we all immediately e-mailed her and we've all been e-mailing ever since.

Then we decided that we wanted to get together. So we finally decided on a day and a place. I got to Karen's house first. Linda, Carol and Edith were riding together. I called Carol's cell phone and she called me back. This was the first time that I had spoken to her in almost 40 yrs. She said that they would be there in a few minutes. I looked up and saw this white car coming toward me and there were two women in the front and one in the back and they were all waving and grinning. They parked and we all got out and were together again after so many years. We hugged and went in the house.

When we first started talking about a reunion, I thought--what if we don't have anything to talk about after all these years---well I didn't have to worry about that. We talked and talked. Then we went to a neat little restaurant in Columbia and ate lunch and talked and talked. We came back to Karen's and talked and talked.We talked about all of the pj parties we used to have. All the trips to Florence, Ala. we used to take. The time that my parents let us take all of the furniture out of the living room and have a luau.The club that we started called, The Debutants. Everyone wanted to be a member of that club. And we talked about the things that had happened in our lives in the last 37 years. We were together for about 7 hours and to me it was like 37 years had not gone by. I was so thrilled to see them again. I never dreamed that the four of us would be together again after all of these years. Anyway, we are still e-mailing and planning our next get-together. We don't ever want to let all those years go by again without seeing each other.

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Edith and I and my sister, Wanda,all went to Draughon's Business college together after high school and shared an apartment in Nashville. I lost touch with Edith after that. She moved to Florence, Ala. and worked at Reynolds.She retired from there and they were bought out by Wise Alloys LLC. She works for Wise Alloys now in the accounting dept. She has been at the same location for 39 years. She married Chris Cabaniss and they have 2 grown children, a son and a daughter.

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Carol went on to college and taught 6th grade in Lawrence County. She married Royce Neidert and they have 2 grown daughters. She retired this year from teaching.

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Linda married and divorced Terry Talley (deceased). She has 1 daughter and 2 grandchildren. She had enough credits in the 11th grade and passed the SAT test that she skipped the 12th grade and went on to college. She designs clothes and jewelry and has worked in the music industry and is now the fashion stylist to a country music star. She lives in St. Joe and commutes to Nashville and stays in Nashville 3 days a week.

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I graduated high school and went to Draughon's Business College in Nashville. At 18, I married my childhood sweetheart, Mike Smith and at 19 I had our first son, at 20 I had our second son and at 24 I had our third son. I worked for the State of Tennessee during some of that, but after the birth of Jamie (our third son), we decided that it was too much to try to work with 3 children. I stayed at home with them and did part-time work, sold avon, sold tupperware, babysat. Mike worked with UPS. He retired in January after 37 years with them. All of my family is on this blog.

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Linda, Carol, Edith and I e-mail each other constantly now and I can't wait to see them again and to continue our friendship.