A very lovely discovery

Today I made a wonderful discovery and found something I had lost. At church today I looked over to find my dear childhood friend Mary Dansie.
It may sound overly dramatic for me to say that finding an old friend is a discovery, especially for someone like me who has retained so many friendships from my childhood. But for me, finding Mary was wonderful for many reasons.
First, in reconnecting with her, I found some things I had lost. She recalled memories of me and my home that I had forgotten. Many of my old memories are shared with my old friends, and so they are "our" memories, and we recite them to one another often to recall good times and help cement our relationships. To find a friend with different memories is much like digging through boxes of things from my childhood-boxes that don't exist. In hearing her recount her memories, I found memories and facts that had been lost to me.
Secondly, what I discovered was her view of my life and of me as a child. She recounted to me a memory she had of stopping at my house one Halloween and going downstairs to my then bedroom. She told me that she was telling her daughter just the other day about my room and how it seemed like a cozy place in a hidden part of the house. My view of my room was that it was behind the stairs in the corner of the basement. My mundane life was adventurous to Mary. If we had more time, I would have shared with her my memories of her house and her older sisters. Her house seemed vast and orderly and quiet compared to mine. I saw it as a kind of castle where regal things might happen. She had two sisters who were quite a few years older than she, and they seemed very wise and mature, not like my older sister who was just two years older than me and just like me. I once saw her chiding her sisters and I though her very brave to speak that way to them.
Through the years I have thought of Mary many times, mostly because of instances like the one I saw with her sisters. Mary spoke her mind without fear or apology. That was something I felt I could never do. Mary was quiet sometimes, like me, but when it really counted she did not cower like I did. Mary stood and spoke when there was something she didn't agree with. I once heard her speak up to a teacher in class when she felt that he was wrong in what he was asking our class to do. She completely dumbfounded our teacher, but in true Mary style, she was unruffled. I don't think I ever saw her be daunted by what others thought of her. That is what Mary Dansie represented to me: someone fearless, undaunted, speaking her mind.
As years went on and we grew further apart, I never stopped thinking of Mary's courage to speak her mind. Many times I would actually think the words "I need to be more like Mary Dansie," and try to bravely say what I thought. When I told her that today, she flushed and assured me that it was not such a good trait after all. I, very unruffled, disagreed.
As an adult looking back at who we were, or thought we were as children, it is so refreshing to be truthful and candid. Sharing regrets of things not done or said, and reassuring one another that the things we did say and do far outweighed the things we didn't.
We didn't take the time to delve into our trials and misfortunes through our years apart, though evidence of them were surely written on our aged faces as we smiled at each others familiar expressions. But one of the sweetest discoveries of my reunion with Mary today brings to mind a favorite scripture. It speaks of the sons of Mosiah meeting with Alma the Younger after many years apart (Alma 17:2). "...Alma did rejoice exceedingly to see his brethren; and what added more to his joy, they were still his brethren in the Lord..."