I can’t remember the first moment we met or how we hit it off. I know it was back in the days of junior high church summer camp. She was from Nebraska. I was from Iowa. It was when kids didn’t have cell phones and before Facebook was invented. Gosh, it may have even been before the internet was alive for all I know. I practically grew up in the dark ages, people.

I kid about the internet except that, for real, we wrote letters to each other. Yep, hand-written letters in tongue-licked envelopes with a stamp on the outside. Later on in high school, home computers became popular and so we began to email. Somewhere along the way, our emails trickled to a stop except for the rare catch-up-on-life emails. Facebook became a thing and it became too easy to let life sweep you by only catching the rare status updates on occasion. (If you are my child reading this in the future, yes, it’s true. Your mother was alive and only twenty-years-old when FB came around. Also, I wonder what else you’re finding out about me online right now…)

So all this to say, we have long been dear friends, but life has a way of separating you and moving you along in this steady stream of busy. You have to make a conscious decision to make time for people. I am relearning that every day.

Gina contacted me (via FB, obviously, because that’s how we Gen Y kids communicate now) saying, “This is so random but I would so LOVE to catch up! I am graduating in a couple weeks so I am mapping out all of these plans for catching up with old friends and travel.. and seriously… we don’t live THAT far apart! We should try to make this happen.”

That’s all it took, one little message and we were checking calendars and syncing weekends. She came this past Saturday and it was like every grand reunion should be. We shopped, we dined, we strolled, we meandered (which is the same as strolling except even slower), we played with makeup, we exchanged beauty tips, we laughed, we caught up on everything that has happened in our lives (which is admittedly a lot).

It. Was. Refreshing.

If you have a long-lost friend, make time. Life is crazy and it won’t slow down for you. It just won’t. You have to make the time.

It will be so worth it. I promise.