Last year was a time of reconnecting for me. In some cases, such reconnecting led to much needed reconciliation. Apologies were issued and forgiveness was extended. But mainly it was a time of resurrecting childhood and adolescent era friendships. The experience was rich and fulfilling in a way that is difficult to describe.
Perhaps the richness is rooted in the time of life in which we find ourselves. Many of us are watching our children begin, and in some cases complete their undergraduate education. A few are even planning weddings for their children. Some don’t have children, but they feel many of the same emotions at this particular stage in life. As some of us prepare to close the chapter in life of having children at home, we are privileged to reopen the narrative of our own childhood through the process of reconnecting.

I feel very indebted to a small handful of friends who have instigated both formal and informal reunions. Their efforts have ranged from suggesting friends on facebook to actually planning reunion events that in some cases occurred out of state. What would we do without those who have the ability to connect people?

In the case of my classmates, the all class reunions are probably over for another five years. Keeping up with people on facebook is not as difficult as the more archaic methods of correspondence, but it too takes work. As I reflect on that realty, I am reminded of an old Dan Fogelberg song from the time period of my teen years.

The title of the song is: Make Love Stay.  It was released by Dan Fogelberg in 1983.  The lyrics to the chorus are as follows:

The tone of the song has a definite romantic overtone that quickly captures the heart. But I think the sentiment behind it has application for friendships too. Now that we have figured out that we really do love and care about each other, how do we make love stay? I think that could be stated in another way: Now that we are old enough to value the people from all of the chapters of our life, how do make love stay?

I don’t have a simple answer. But I do have a few ideas bouncing around in my head! My hope for this year in regard to such relationships is pretty simple: I desire for the friendships from every period of my life to grow in depth, loyalty, and significance. I have a sneaking suspicion that can happen. In fact, I really believe that love can stay…