Long-lost Friends

Long-Lost Friends

Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God.

I opened the hotel-room door and gasped at who I saw passing in the hallway. “Kelsie!” I said. “I didn’t know you’d be here!”

We were hundreds of miles from our hometown and hadn’t seen each other in a decade, but I would have known her anywhere. She had the same sandy brown hair and friendly smile as always. Not wanting to be late for the wedding we were both attending, I swallowed my surprise and climbed into our car to head to the venue. As rain spattered the windshield, I marveled to my husband Tim over the presence of a friend so far from home.

Kelsie and I met in fifth grade. We lived on opposite ends of a long block dedicated to our local schools, and we spent junior-high summers taking leisurely walks around the neighborhood in the hopes of glimpsing cute neighbor boys playing basketball. We even dressed up with our friend Melissa and pretended to be members of a wedding party, lip-syncing “Wishin’ and Hopin’” from the movie My Best Friend’s Wedding in front of our classmates. It felt ironic that now, years later, we were picking up where we’d left off at an actual wedding. Her husband was a groomsman, and Tim and I had become friends of the couple after he joined the CrossFit gym they owned.

After the outdoor ceremony, we headed inside to find a table. Now a successful career woman, Kelsie had married her high school sweetheart and had a young daughter. As the evening wore on, I listened to her talk about the medical challenges they’d faced with their child and found myself wiping away tears. Those moments of sadness were offset by laughter and the joy of shared happy memories.

As friends, it can be easy to lose touch. Life gets busy, people move, or sometimes we simply drift apart. Seeing my old friend reminded me of how grateful I’d been to have her in my life growing up. As people of God, let us practice gratitude whenever we consider our friendships, old and new.

— Kristin

— Today’s Act of Friendship —

Reach out to a friend you haven’t talked to in a while, and make up for some lost time.