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Keeping in touch with people is a huge part of our world today. A quick text is not enough, we must be deliberate about our relationships. Staying consistent is huge. Follow through with your commitments. Be brave and take the necessary steps to have a good long distance and you will be thankful to yourself later. My best friend told me some thing very true and inspirational, she said that "the closest friends are the ones who move away." If you think about it this is very true. When you or a friend move and you are forced to be deliberate with your friendship it will grow stronger than it ever could have when you still lived close to each other. This can be true with pen-pals too,you may never actually meet each other but you will have a lasting bond because you kept in touch. Here are some things I have learned from over three and a half years of consistent long distance friendships.

- Sometimes persistence is what it takes to get things going. Be regular, write or call often. They probably will start to respond at some point. It may just take you being very regular and they may, if nothing else, get so annoyed with you writing them that they will write back and that's the goal.

- Now if someone never ever responds you do have to quit at some point, when is up to you, but you don't have to cut off all contact with that person forever. Actually don't do that, you can call from time to time or write the occasional letter and it will lighten your letter load but also make you feel better about it, as well as keeping the door open if they ever want to write back.

- Growing up. This was one of my best friend and I's recent challenges. We found that doing what we had always loved doing was no longer fun. Thankfully we figured this out at about the same time. So we went through a process of finding some new "thing" it didn't take long and now we enjoy our talks and letters more than ever. Growing up happens and your long distance relationship will change along with you.

- Don't forget your family! You can be pen-pals with cousins, schedule regular phone calls with Grandparents and write to aunts and uncles too. These people will love to hear from you and will probably write or call back.

I hope these tips are helpful to your long distance friendships. And remember that the friends who move away have the potential to be the best friends of all.

  
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