Carissa

Carissa is a woman my age that I went to high school in Virginia with. She's one of the only people from that high school that I actually don't mind running into. Don't know if I mentioned it before, but the high school I moved to in 11th grade was awful, I hated it and felt most of the kids there were hateful. But, that's another post for another time. Today is Carissa's day.

If I'm being honest, I have to say I don't really remember Carissa much from school. But, she remembered me. I remember her from W*l-m*rt. I was working there about 3 years after high school and one evening Carissa came in with her mom to shop. She made her way over to me and reminded me that we went to school together. Then she asked me tons of questions about myself. When she found out that I had two children she wanted to know all about them as well. I had a great time that evening chatting with Carissa while I was working. I had forgotten how sweet and genuinely caring she was. She didn't ask me all those questions because she was nosy and she wanted to run off and gossip about me to all her girlfriends, she asked because she really cared. She hung out with me because she enjoyed my company, and I enjoyed hers. It got to where I hoped that Carissa and her mom would come to the store on evenings that I worked. I loved listening to her talk and her laugh makes me smile now just to think about it.

I haven't seen Carissa in a while now. I stopped working at W*l-M*rt years ago, and since we moved we rarely even go to that town anymore. I know, however, that if I were to run into Carissa tomorrow she would call me by my name and she would say hello to my boys as if she's watched them grow up through these years. She may just be one of the best friends I've ever been blessed to have in my life.

Oh, did I forget to mention? Carissa was born with Down Syndrome.