When I was in third grade, I lived in a suburb of Salt Lake City, Utah. I was the only minority child in my class at Lincoln Elementary School. It wasn’t long after the end of World War II and I was a Japanese American. I experienced a bit of racism and prejudice due to my ethnicity, but life was good with friends.

In my class there were two girls whom I remember well. I can’t say I remember the rest of my classmates from that year. Linda was a pretty blonde girl. Judy had brown hair and regularly wore it in pigtails. They were the best of friends, but somehow they included me and the other girls in the class as friends too.

There was a religious meeting for children one day a week after school at the church across the street. He was from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and I was not a member of that church. However, I enjoyed being with the other children. The classes were in age ranges, so I was in the church class with kids who were in my class at school. Judy was a member of that church, so I went to class with her. Linda was a member of another church and did not go with us to the meeting after school.

The following year, when we were in fourth grade, I continued to go to church class with Judy after school once a week. Then my family moved in the middle of the year. I never saw Judy or Linda again, and never wrote or contacted them from that point forward.

When I moved, I again went to the children’s church class after school once a week in the new area. Then after a while my family and I joined the church. It became a big part of our lives.

Life went on with school, college, work, marriage and children. We moved several times, which included California, back to Utah, back to Virginia, and then back to Utah. When I got back to Utah for the last time with the internet and social media available, I decided that maybe I should try to contact Judy after she had been through all this time.

Over the years I thought of Judy from time to time, but never made contact. I appreciated that she was nice to me, even though I never told her. I was able to find information about her on the internet even though I only had her childhood name. Unfortunately, the information was in her obituary as she had passed away a few years prior to that time.

With the incredible technology available today, old friends can be found with connections on email, Facebook, and other social networks. Relationships can be picked up once again after many years of absence. Do not expect too much. Old friendships can be rekindled and old friends can bring joy to one’s life.