Happy Birthday Anne Paton, Wherever You Are

I say this every year.  I may not post it, but I say it.

Anne Paton was my friend in England in the 1950s.  We met at school.  We transferred to another school together.  My family actually moved fairly close to Anne's, and we hung out together a lot.  Our parents even hung out occasionally.  Then, in 1957, my family moved to Canada, and I never saw Anne again.  We wrote for years...she was the first to give me a "heads up" about the Beatles--"Oh, by the way, there's a new band out in Liverpool.  They're called the Beatles.  I think they're rather nice."  That was in 1963, months before we heard them on the radio here.  I have forgotten her married name, so I can't find her.  I've tried googling, but apparently, there was a very famous South African Anne Paton (a fighter against Apartheid), and her information is all that Google pulls up.

In this day of the interwebs, and being able to find anyone, I am frequently boggled by the number of people I can't find at all.  As well as Anne, what the hell ever happened to Olaf Wirsching, Esther Howe and Sylvia Fenn?  I can find no internet presence at all, for any of those people.

I have found, or been found by quite a few people...

...Margaret Jenkins, who was the closest friend I had in high school.

...Marguerite Wingert, who made up the triumvirate.

...Carolyn Gronlund, who was a neighbour and friend when I was a child in Canada.  Lyn taught me to dance, y'all, so it's all her fault. 

...Rick Tilley (who date-raped me in the front seat of my father's car, parked out by the city dump) looked me up to apologize for being a douche.  Actually, he apologized for having been a sex addict, but I think "douche" is a better term. 

...Art Jackson, who was responsible for my first real kiss.

...Brian Egerton, my first husband (who sends me books for Christmas, as he found me by my Amazon wish list) (which I can't figure out how to change, now that he has sent me the books that were on it).

I find it flattering, this evidence that I was remembered by any of these people (except for Rick...pretty sure his contacting me was part of a 12-step), and I'm always eager to catch up.

I still would like to catch up with Sylvia, Olaf, Esther, and especially Anne.

Life is too short to lose people.