Survivor Saturdays: Taking Friends with You

Pretty soon, your and your friends will scatter across the country. You'll all be settling into new communities, new friendships, and new stages in your lives. If you don't take steps to stay in contact now, you'll find your closest friends will become strangers.

As impossible as this seems, consider planning a yearly get-away where you all reunite. It can be men one time, women the next, couples, or families. Some of our friends did this and they have great memories and a long history of fun times together. My sister joins her friends in a cabin rental every year to scrapbook and catch up. The men take a golf trip and talk about their year. She looks forward to this time with her long-time friends. M and I didn't commit to doing anything annually, and now I really regret it. The "let's get together sometime" turned into years, and in some cases even decades. If only we had taken the time...

Your get-togethers don't have to be costly and they don't have to exclude kids. But investing in friendships that will go with you whereever you end up is a worthwhile investment. Consider a quarterly skype session, or a family summer beach trip. Just take the time to keep these very special friendships strong.