To the Editor:
I just had to take moment to share with you a tremendous experience I just had recently. A friend and I, on a 25-day road trip, stopped in Thompson for a very brief visit. I was born and raised here in Thompson and still have family and friends here so I wanted to see as many people as I could during this trip.
During breakfast on Sept. 18, I picked up the Thompson Citizen to check on what's happening in Thompson these days. I turned the page and was very pleasantly surprised to see Cathy Pelley, your paper's ad consultant, looking back at me.
I haven't seen Cathy in almost 20 years! We had talked off and on over the years, but eventually lost contact of each other in the past seven or eight years.
The last I knew, Cathy was living in Grande Prairie, Alta., so I had planned to look her up when I stopped in Edmonton on that part of my road trip. My Edmonton stop was still a few days away. Knowing now that she was right here, in Thompson, I could barely contain myself, I had to stop in the Thompson Citizen office and surprise her. This is how that moment went down: I walked in and Cathy was on the phone. Her co-worker asked to assist me and I said I was there to see Cathy. Cathy nodded that she heard me and discreetly said she would be with me in a moment, she just had to finish the call she was on. She did not recognize me, yet. I waited. When she got off the phone, she asked how she could help me. I then walked over to her saying, "Well, I don't blame you for not recognizing me, Cathy, after all, it's been almost 20 years!" A huge smile spread across her face as she said my name, "Natalie? Oh my God, Natalie?" I nodded and smiled just as largely right back. We hugged, and then tried to hurriedly catch each other upon lost time in a matter of minutes, after which she quickly introduced me to her co-workers. We agreed to meet later on in the day to be a bit more thorough. ??
Cathy and I met in White River, Ont. in the latter part of the 1980s, shortly after I had my first-born (1988). Cathy babysat for me when I returned to work.We shared a wonderful friendship for the period we both lived in White River. She eventually moved away to Newfoundland, and I, too,left shortly after and settled in Vancouver, British Columbia. As I mentioned earlier, we stayed in touch off and on over the years and eventually lost contact. What a complete joy it was to have located her again, and in Thompson no less! I would never have expected to see her there. Never even dreamt it. I was hoping to find her still in Grande Prairie, Alta. in the next few days! This brief visit in Thompson will be that much more memorable because of this 'experience'. ??
Cathy, it was excellent connecting with you again. Let's keep in touch. ??
Natalie Pritchard
Vancouver??
