The True Story of a Friendship Lost and Found Again

A simple 5 a.m. DM changed everything. What looked like a random question about my parents turned into the most joyful reunion with my childhood friend after decades apart—and a living picture of how restoration finds us when we’re willing to search with an open heart.

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Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome And Today’s Promise
• 0:44 The 5 A.M. DM
• 1:59 Is This Really Her
• 3:09 The Lost Coin Scripture
• 4:02 Memories Of Anne
• 6:03 When Life Scatters Us
• 7:25 Beauty In The Searching
• 8:37 Prayers, Restoration, And Hope
• 9:57 Your Missing Joy And Worth

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:04

You're listening to One Degree to Victory, the space where stories, strategies, and soul connect. Together we take one small step each week toward the life you know you're called to live. I'm your hostess, Nalita Hollis, and today's story and conversation just might change your life. Someone had slid into my DMs. Now, I keep my family close and I don't share a lot of details on social media. So when I got the message, sorry to bother you, but is your dad a truck driver and your mom a teacher? I sat up and squinted at my phone a little closer. Wait a minute, wait a minute. Who is this? And I began to run in my mind, had I shared that my dad is a truck driver? Yes, I've said, you know, stories about my mom being a teacher and my dad a truck driver. So I said, hold up, hold up, what is this? Am I being catfished? I literally said, am I being catfished? At 5 a.m., y'all, my brain is not fully functioning, and I had just laid down from a long night. And something in my mind said, read it again and keep reading. And so I did. Y'all, that simple message, that little question would turn into the most beautiful reconnection of my life. It was from my childhood friend, Dorothy Ann Kennedy. After a little back and forth, and actually, I couldn't get my questions out fast enough to make sure it was her because she kept recalling events that only our neighborhood in the early 80s would know, events and people that only she would know. Anne had been searching and I had been praying. She told me later that she had been through some rough seasons moving around, feeling unwanted and struggling. And I asked her, what made her find me? How? Why? And her response was, I had to try. I was thinking about how to honor our friendship through this podcast. And y'all forgive me as I as I tear up a little bit. This scripture came to mind, and it's really about Anne and her resilience and her light. And the scripture says, suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one, doesn't she light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, celebrate with me. I have found my lost coin. Constant listener, sister, girl, let me tell you, I could not wait to call my mother in the morning and let her know I had found my friend, or rather, my friend had found me. I told my daughter and my son it was a moment of celebration. Constant listener, as I share with you, today is a day of celebrating. Dorothy Ann Kennedy is my friend. She has resided in my heart of hearts for 40 years. She was a part of my life every day for a very long time. And then one day she was just gone. I was left with memories. Memories of the two of us with our friend Jonathan. Memories of her standing in the doorway. And there was no waiting for her to be invited in. The door opened and she walked in. And it was always, hey Ann. I remember her cat affectionately named Dog. I remember her birthday slumber party when she tried to get me to call on Bloody Mary. We were in the bathroom, the lights were out, and we were staring at the mirror. Like we did get a little bit of it out, but I was like, mm-mm, no, I cannot do it. I remember her dad and her mom and her brothers. I remember her dad had the biggest hobby train set I'd ever seen. And I remember the day he let us into the coveted forbidden garage to let us see it and watch it. He powered it on for us and the lights came on and the horn tooted. And oh, my heart soared that day. I love trains right now, today, in large part due to him. I wonder if he knew then that he would be spiriting my girl away from me. Constant listener. Oh, this is a hard story. Constant listener, life scatters us. People drift, circumstances shift, and we lose track of things. But lost doesn't mean gone forever. What I want you to catch today is that there is beauty in the searching, in rediscovering love, friendship, and the piece of yourself you thought time had erased. Maybe you're listening right now and you've lost something too. Maybe it's not a friend, maybe it's your joy, your peace, your sense of purpose. Maybe you've looked around your life and thought, I don't even recognize this anymore. But hear me, beautiful soul. If you're willing to turn on your light and keep searching, it won't stay hidden, it won't stay lost, it won't stay gone forever. There's beauty in the searching, there's purpose in the process. The woman with the lost coin didn't quit after one sweep and said, I know it's been 40 years, but I'm going to keep searching. I'm going to try. And y'all know what? I was praying. I was praying that she was fine. I didn't know if I'd ever see her again, but I was praying that she would know that she would remember me, and that she would remember that she was loved. To anyone who feels disconnected, unseen, or left behind, this is your reminder. Sometimes the miracles show up in an unexpected place at an unexpected time, wrapped in an unexpected message. And I know somebody listening needs the reminder today. You've been praying for restoration, maybe for your family, for your faith, for yourself, and you've been wondering, is it even worth it to keep trying? Can we be an example for you today? It is. There are still stories of restoration to be written, and God still turns ashes into beauty. So maybe again your coin isn't a person. Maybe it's your joy, your confidence, your sense of worth. Maybe it's your voice after a season of silence. Whatever it is, constant listener, sister, girl, light your lamp. Sweep the house. Search again and keep on searching. One day you'll find it. And when you do, I hope you'll call someone and say, come rejoice with me. I have found what I thought was gone. Dorothy and Kennedy, this one's for you. You are proof that love and friendship can be restored, and that even after the hardest nights, joy comes in the morning. To everyone listening, keep searching, keep praying, keep believing. God specializes in turning lost things into found blessings. That's the beauty for ashes. That's the beauty in searching. I love Christine. One degree to victory is about progression, not perfection. And that involves choosing a life that works for you now in this season and building from there. And Sister Girl, it's going to take more than loving yourself. It's going to take vision for where you're going, hope to believe it's possible, action to make it real, and love for your family to fuel every step. Take one degree forward this week, and I'll see you in the next episode.