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A Love Letter To Long Distance Friendship

Long distance friendship is not for the faint of heart. Long periods of time with all manner of struggle and celebration pass between visits and those visits are never long enough. Life gets in the way, time passes quickly, and it's easy to lose track of people who were once so important in your life.

I was blessed with the most amazing roommate my sophomore year in college. I had some real duds my freshman year and was struggling to find others for the following year. One afternoon I chatted with a girl on the steps of my dorm. We commiserated about our atrocious dorm and horrible roommates, and she said that her dad was investing in a house off campus and she was looking for roommates. I agreed to check out the house the following week, and it was BEAUTIFUL! I would move in today if it were available.

With little to lose and no other prospects, I arrived for sophomore year having only casually chatted with the girl from the steps, and having never met the third girl with whom I would actually share a room. I do tend to jump right in and learn to "swim" as I go - always have done so. Little did I know that this person would become so very important in my life and that I would still consider her like a sister to this day. I hit the jackpot!

After graduation life took us in very different paths with a fair amount of distance between us. We both married, had kids and took care of family and lived our lives, making time to see each other here and there. But we never gave up on our friendship, trading phone calls and holiday cards here and there with an occasional visit when one of us had time to travel. Not perfect, and not like sharing a room, but it was never work and our time together was always easy, seemingly picking up where we left off the last time.

I recently got the chance to spend a weekend with her, and I can't tell you how much I needed that visit. We fell right back into our groove, we talked, laughed, listened deeply, cried, celebrated and mourned all that had gone on since we last saw each other. It was the best therapy in the world and I am so thankful that we are still as close as we were back in college. We might miss the little day to day things, but our friendship is worth every mile we have to travel to see each other again.

Long distance friendship is not easy, but it is so worth it! Make sure you are nurturing those long distance friendships because life can be hard and those that have known you the longest often know you the best and are willing to be there for you whenever you need them. That is priceless.

You may not be able to visit as much as you'd like, but make time to call (or pick up the phone when they call), and write - you don't have to write a novel, just a quick "you popped into my mind today" or "I was thinking about you and wanted you to know" is all it takes to make someone feel loved and valued. Treat these older friendships with care because making new friends is not easy as we get older. You'll never regret the time spent, and they will never regret receiving happy mail from you.

Oh, and I DID send her a thank you note for inviting me to stay for the weekend. Can't wait til we can do it again!

Thinking Of You Week

So, I blew it - big time. This week was "Thinking of You" Week. Yup, I missed an entire week dedicated to sending "thinking of you" cards - AND I missed reminding YOU about it. 🤦🏻‍♀️

After berating myself for a bit, I realized that honestly, shouldn't every week be "Thinking Of You Week?" I know that the Post Office created this week as a way to encourage people to send some happy mail and that's great, but I wish we would all remember to send happy mail as frequently as possible. Imagine how much better everyone's day would be if they regularly received a mailbox full of happy mail! Pretty sure our days would be just a bit more enjoyable and a little less overwhelming if we all knew that we had people wishing us well on a regular basis.

How about creating a new habit? How about randomly sending cards to people in your life for no reason other than to say "HI! I was thinking about you and wanted to make sure you had a good day." Wouldn't that be amazing? Wouldn't your day be just a little bit better knowing that you made someone else feel good after a long, hard day at life? And then, what if your actions made other people realize that they could send some happy mail also, and you started getting more happy mail? Imagine the possibilities - more smiles, more time spent making sure others feel loved, and more time feeling the love from others in your life. Doesn't get much better than that!

Quote Of The Week

The Best Friendships Don't Need Big Words
Some friendships are quiet love stories. They don't need grand gestures or perfect timing, just two people choosing each other, over and over in every season of life. It's the kind of love that shows up without asking, stays without needing attention, and grows even in silence. It may not look like a fairytale, but it feels like home. Because true friendship is a love that doesn't fade; it heals you, grounds you, and reminds you you're never alone."
-heartfelt writing journey

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See you next week!
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Newport, Rhode Island
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