I didn’t realize how much I needed my old friends, and how much they needed me.

The close friends I made in undergrad, living on campus for 3.5 years, physically spread out right after graduation. A few went overseas. I had one go to China, another to Australia, another to the Middle East. Others moved to other states—Maryland, Alaska, Connecticut.

We did not keep up very well. I talked to one every five months or so. It was pretty bad.

Around the same time that the coronavirus broke loose in the US, I realized that I needed more friends, and began reaching out to some of those friends from college. Turns out we really needed each other. I remember one particularly lonely day. I called my old roommate, and we talked for five hours—‘twas a fantastic conversation.

Over the summer, I met up with another friend once who I hadn’t talked to in at least two years. When we met up, we realized we had gone through similar experiences, and were able to swap stories and tips. We became devotional accountability partners, which has helped us both.

Life can be tough, and we need our friends to laugh with us, listen to us vent, talk with us for hours, remind us that we are loved, and tell us how great we are. I thank God that He has answered my prayer for friends. In reaching out to the old friends, I realized I have more than I realized, and by His grace I am keeping up with them more often than ever, and am better for it. Praise God for my friends!

Life Lesson: Keep up with your friends. You need them, and they need you.