Through It All

Last night I went to my third cousin's Sweet Sixteen. It was at a beautiful catering hall overlooking the water in Howard Beach. The guests were dressed in party attire and the girls wore shoes so high, that they were wobbling. When the party began they introduced the "Dias". There were 6 bridesmaids type looking girls all wearing white. They were the six best friends out of a group of 100. The music was great and the dance floor was packed. The food choices were very tasty and the Viennese table was the best. Any place that serves cotton candy wins me over. When it came time for the candle lighting ceremony, the birthday girl said a bit about each person. For each "best" friend, she listed a ton of memories that they had shared. She ended each mini speech with the line, "We have been through it all together". All? How much could there have been to go through by 16? You haven't graduated high school or worried about getting ino college. You haven't graduated college and had to worry about finding a job. You haven't dated or married. You haven't had the pleasure of raising children and being called the bad parent if you have to say "no" to anything. You haven't paid bills or a mortgage. I guess her "all" is a sixteen year "all". I wish I could remember back to when I was 16, and thought I went through it all.