I still keep contact with most of my best friends from High School, and some whom I would class as more 'close aquaintances' than friends. I recently visited with one friend whom I have not seen since my wedding last year, and a year before that, and I was surprised at the depth of relationship and commonality that remained.

It is tough to keep friends once you leave High School; when you and your friends are constantly doing the same things together, friendship comes easy. Later, when the circumstances of life, and, perhaps, differing values, beliefs, jobs, etc. intervene, it actually takes work to maintain those friendships. There have been many times when I missed my friends, as I take it you do. Sometimes I felt as though friendships were not reciprocal, and my friends were much more important to me than I was to them. Friendships will remain, despite differences, provided that both you and your friend are willing to put in the effort. I was talking with a somewhat newer friend about this very thing last night. He traveled to China for a year, and, because of where he was, it was a significant effort to contact him. He, however, felt abandoned (not by me-I'm the best friend evar!), even though before he left he was very popular. His most important friends failed him, and it has drastically changed his relationship with them. It will take time to repair those friendships.

I should finish. The unfortunate truth is that after High School, people can mature and grow at remarkably different paces, and relations between friends can change drastically. Some people are simply unwilling to put in the effort to be a real friend to someone, rather than just a buddy. I can tell you that it can be worth the effort, even if it seems to be much more effort on your part than your friend's. It will not necessarily be so, however; it is rewarding once friends change and become willing to be a friend to you, but it does hurt when you never see that happen. To spout a ridiculous cliche "life is like that, sometimes". I hope that you will have good success with your own friends, and that they realize just how vital, important, and valuable good friendships really are.

Fr"thought I should write at least one serious thing today"um