This has nothing to do with baseball, but tonight, my 14-year-old daughter's best friend called to say that there's a 95% chance her family will be moving this summer to Nebraska, due to a promotion her dad anticipates getting. These girls have been best friends since 1st grade and live right behind each other; we have a gate in the fence between our backyards. My daughter's friend is like a second daughter to me. She lives at our house just as much as our own and goes to church with us each Sunday. (Her own family does not go to church.)

My daughter has been in tears all night and I am choked up as I write. When I was growing up, my best friend (from 1st grade on) moved to another city when we were 13. It was so hard for us and it's incredibly difficult to anticipate these two girls having to go through the same thing.

Thank goodness there is now technology to help them stay connected -- cell phones, email, web cams, instant messaging. But there will be no more volleyball games in the backyard, sleepovers, trips to the water park, shopping expeditions, etc. on a regular basis.

It's hard to think that I will be losing my son (to college) and my "second daughter" all in the same summer.

infield08,

up late tonight its midnight here. just reading over posts. over the years I have seen friendships that my son was very close with , and Myself also. I have come to the realization that their our seasons inlife and they change. somethings do not last forever. the friendship can but logistics change.its the ebb and flow of life, it just happens. tough on the kids and us too at times. but seasons change God brings new people into our lives, sometimes the friendships are enriched even more with distance.there is always going to be change and when i lost both my parents 58 days apart four years ago was when i fully relized everything is temporary here on earth. thats why I have to look up to understand that eternity does not exist on earth. good luck will be praying for your daugter and you.

Infield ...

I can imagine how sad your daughter is (as well as you) over the move of her best friend. You will both grieve for a while at the 'loss' but I am sure all those memories will surface and evetually bring smiles to your faces again.

The wonder of today's technology with cell phones that take and send pictures, text messaging, the computer, etc., will take the edge off, I am sure. Soon they will be 'vacationing' at each others' homes in the summers, reinventing ways to add memories to their 'albums' of friendship.

My son ... who is 25 ... has been able to maintain a very close relationship with one of his best friends that he met in low A ball in '04. The friend is with a different organization now, but the 'boys' (and now their wives) stay in touch with their cell phones. They manage to get together several times a year either here or near their home in another state. I honestly believe that their friendship is one of the best my son has had (his "first" friend lives locally) and it continues to grow despite the distance.

I pray your daughter and you feel better sooner rather than later.

Thank you for your prayers and words of encouragement. I know things will work out, but the transition is going to be very difficult.

It helps to remind myself that my best friend who moved away at age 13 is still my best friend! This year we celebrated 40 years of friendship! We went to different high schools and colleges and we have never lived in the same city in the past 33 years, but it is amazing how we can just pick up where we left off every time we get together.

Hopefully, my daughter and her friend will be just the same way.