About friends

Tonight I got to see one of my best friends from college, Anette, whom I haven't seen in years. We met during our first semester at Augsburg. Throughout the fall of 2004 we spent many, many hours talking about life and other general topics that we both enjoyed discussing. It has been 4 years since then. Tonight, when I saw my friend, I was genuinely HAPPY! I know that 4 years is a rather long time, and a lot has changed in both of our lives during this time, but still, we are the same persons and regardless of how much time goes by, we will remain friends. I don't think that friends necessarily have to talk or write to each other every day. I think that if it is a true friendship, it will last no matter what. I know that because I have several friends whom I haven't seen in years, and yet, I know that next time I see them, I will be genuinely happy and our friendship will feel just as natural and comfortable as if we just talked to each other the day before.
I have never found it too hard to keep in touch with people who are physically far away. I think that generally I am a very dedicated person which helps me to stay in touch. If I see that I really have a lot in common with a person, I will do my best to hold onto it as long as possible, and hopefully, for a lifetime. I remain dedicated through hard times because let's face it, nothing is going to be perfect. I think that it would be too naive to think that something is or should be perfect. Therefore, it is up to us to hold onto the positive and use that to feed our relationships. I know it seems like I am praising myself for being dedicated, but I am really not. I am simply stating how I approach relationships with people and it really works for me.
I hope that each and every person has at least one and hopefully many relationships that will last a lifetime... relationships that endure through hard times, relationships that will make you genuinely happy every single time you meet that person.