Friendship Saviour

The first step in to do list to say hi to an old friend or to keep in touch with current friends, is to commit to keeping the friendship alive, forever! Few ideas to help you show your love and effection for your friends. Just remember, friendships are not a chore, they are gifts to be cherished, so have fun with it!

An old cliché, just a phone call away - Try to make a commitment to call each of your friends at least one time a month. Keep a ‘Calendar of Friendship’ and mark which friend you last spoke to and on what day of the month. Note each call on your calendar, and commit to calling each friend at least once monthly. Be sure to keep your address book updated with current phone numbers and addresses. You’ll soon find that a ten to fifteen minute phone call will mean the world to them and it will show your friend that, you are thinking of them and care about what is happening in their lives, even you can’t be there in person.

Take Advantage of Email - With the ever growing world of the internet, there is a great way to keep in touch with friends, right at your fingertips! If you have access to a computer with an internet connection (your local library is sure to have free access), e-mail is a great way to send a spontaneous note. People love to receive new mail, and you’ll find that they will reply to your message more often times than not! Keep an ‘online’ e-mail address book of your closest friends, and grab e-mail addresses of other friends that you have lost touch with from forwarded messages from other friends. Soon you’ll see your list grow, and your inbox will soon be full as well!

Cards and Notes - Handwritten word is still the best, and most personable way to show that you care. Buy a box of stationary and keep it in a place that you will see it on a daily basis. It only takes a few minutes and a stamp to send love to a friend, and they will appreciate the gesture and more than likely you’ll see your mail box full of notes in the coming months! Weekend mornings are a great time to write notes to your friends. Be sure to include photos of children, pets, husbands, etc. to keep them updated on your life. It’s also very important to remember Birthdays and important Holidays, so be sure to mark these dates on your ‘Calendar of Friendship,’ and send out notes and cards for those special days. Your friends will be touched that you remembered, especially knowing how busy you are!

Small Gifts - Often times special occasions arise for your friends and you just can’t be there in person to celebrate. For time like these, sending a small gift in the mail is a great way to show that you care and that you wish you could be there. For instance, if a friend has recently given birth, you can send a magazine subscription to a parents magazine. A year subscription is cheap, and lasts for a whole year. Your friend will be touched, and will think about you every month, when the mailman delivers that magazine! Not only will you be keeping in touch, but the new mother will have a great gift to share with her new arrival as well! This is a great idea for many occasions, for instance births, wedding planning, hobbies such as gardening or sports, or for sheer entertainment value! Other great gifts include small books on friendship, newspaper or magazine clippings on an area that interests your friend, small candles, lotions and oils, scented soaps, anything luxurious that shows that you care for her and want her to pamper herself!

Annual Get Togethers - Another great way to keep in touch with friends is planning an annual get together. Keep it at the same time of year so everyone becomes familiar with the trip. Usually there is a circle of friends that remain acquainted as years pass, so planning a trip allows everyone to spend time together. Camping is a great idea, as it is cheap and promotes group activities such as boating, swimming, campfires, bar-b-ques, spirits and fun, fun, fun! Adult slumber parties are fun as well, it’s a great way to reminisce about old times, share finger foods or pizza, and giggle about boys (or husbands). Just remember, this is still a girl’s only function!

So, as you see, keeping in touch with friends isn’t such a chore, if you commit a small portion of your life to it. Friendships are rewarding, and losing them is sad. As we go through life, wonderful blessings enter and exit our lives, but true friendships should last forever. It’s up to you to keep the flame burning, so be true to your friends and keep in touch!

Remember, every little hello, every little smile, every helping hand saves a hurting heart.

- Munnu

Click, Click...Find Friends!

"A friend is a gift you give yourself."
- Robert Louis Stevenson

Indeed. Long into the autumn of life, thinking about your closest friends you've not been in touch with? Have you lost touch with your closest childhood friend? Wondering how you can reconnect with old friends? Everyday millions of people across the world take to the internet to find thier friends and high school classmates. classmates, orkut, facebook, refriendz, hi5....your options to find your friends and get back in touch are aplenty. All you have to do is sign up on these social networking sites and search for your friends by thier names or e-mail addresses.

We all love to reminisce the past, don't we? Sad as it may be, we lose touch even with our closest friends, some we had shared the most intimate details of our lives and dreams with! Sometimes I would wonder what happened to the people i used to hang out with...There are times when I wish I could go back in time and play those mindless games we enjoyed so much, talk for long hours without any worries, share and solve problems.....I would often wonder that they would have interesting stories to share if i get back in touch with them.

Fortunately for me, finding high school classmates online has been easy and i have been able to reconnect with all the people i thought i would never meet again.

- Reethi