For my long distant friends who have become my family.

In the beginning of my freshman year of high school I met five wonderful people. These five people would become my best friends, and little did we know at that time we would become family. Although most of us went our separate ways after high school graduation, we still continue to be my best friends to this day. Three years after graduation from high school, some of us have been living across the country from one another. From Texas to Kentucky, to the city of Philadelphia, to the outskirts of Lancaster and to my home in Collegeville, we have all stayed as close as ever. Even a semester in India could not break our bond of friendship.

We tested long distance. We learned from long distance. And we answered this question, “Does distance really make the heart grow fonder?” I think so.

Long distance does not allow the luxury of seeing each other all the time. We had to learn to value and appreciate every minute we have together from daily Snapchats, FaceTimes, or the best when we can actually spend time with each other in person. Long distance does not let us get tired of one another. Long distance would not last if we were only concerned about petty drama and stupid fights. So, we learned to communicate better and forgive quickly. We learned how to make time for one another and truly make an effort to stay in each other’s lives.

In the beginning, long distance is a test. It tests the strength of friendship with obstacles. Such as when we are not all together over school breaks or semesters abroad. We had to learn to make time for each other when our schedules became so crazy busy we barely knew when we were going to sleep let alone find five minutes to facetime one another. Yet, year after year, I reflect on who I would call at two in the morning, or anxiously await a phone call at two in the afternoon. Distance has taught us how to value our friendship and mold it into something new that grows regardless of the miles that separate us.