Summer Meet Ups

We start school this week, which means that our summer days of frantically trying to get settled in but still be as lazy as possible are now drawing to a close. Sure, we smacked a couple of weeks of school in there post move, but most of it has been beach trips and unpacking and hanging pictures and bopping in to see the Man at work while simultaneously scarring the entire squadron with the sight of our children. It's fun for the whole family! But the highlight of the summer, at least for me, has been meeting up with a whole truck load of old friends.

A friend from college and her son got to play with the clan at a splash pad while we were in TN (and they drove 2 hours in order to do so). I did a last minute drop in on some friends from our time in Oklahoma, who now live in Alabama and graciously fed us lunch before we finished our drive home. I had a friend from Monterey who moved to Seattle come down for a beach day with our kids. On Saturday, we got to rendezvous with a friend from my time in Virginia who now lives in the Netherlands with her family. And tomorrow a friend from childhood is stopping for the night as her family moves to South Carolina. Now if only someone from my time in DC would decide to swing by, my summer of old friends would be complete. I'm not naming names, but you should know that our guest bed is super comfy. And the beach is seriously a two minute walk from the house. Also, if you come after Wednesday you get to help homeschool the kids. And you know you desperately want to do that.

And I just realized that I'm wearing the same shirt
on three out of four of those days...

I have been thinking of God's goodness in letting some of these friendships continue. Some of these friends I had not seen in years. Some of these friends I hadn't kept up with terribly well. These friends have changed jobs, moved, married, had kids, suffered terrible griefs... We'd missed major life events, but still, for just an hour or two we got to enjoy each other, listen to each other, hug one another. And I was grateful. I am grateful.

It is hard to keep up with friends the way that I would like. We have moved (on average) every two years over the last decade. That means that every two years, I am making new friends who I will then want to keep up with the next time we move (while still making more new friends). Sometimes this is a logistical challenge. Often, people that I love and enjoy slip through the cracks. But we have grace for each other, and we take the moments (and the facebook messages) when we can get them.

I had a friend message me only last week, just to tell me that she had been thinking of me and she was trying to be more intentional in her relationships so she messaged when she had a moment. We haven't seen each other in a decade. But I so love that she did that. I'm hoping to squeeze in a phone call to her this week in between finalizing homeschool plans and changing six sets of sheets, not because I have to but because if I can, I want to. And no, we probably will not start weekly phone dates but I will love that fifteen minute phone call just like I loved that five sentence "I'm thinking of you" note.

We all get it: we are busy. No matter how much I pare down and say no to, I think the nature of adulting is busyness. But there are things that take so little time and effort. I want to be the friend who sends that text message to say, "You were on my mind today." I want to be the kind of person who says, "I'm driving through your town today; want to meet up?" I want to pick up the phone and listen well. To the best of my ability. And I am so grateful for the friends who have grace for me when my best ability falls short.