I’d call her from my room at my parents’ house: “Charity! How are you???”

“Hi Rebecca! Wait a minute… Shhhh, guys! I’m on the phone.” (Laughter, excited girly voices yelling in the background.) She’d either quiet them down, or move away from the noise, and then we’d catch up.

I was in Nebraska for my freshman year at the university and Charity was in Georgia, at Covenant College — the school I always thought I’d attend. Turns out, the Lord had different plans! It was those phone conversations with my good friend, and countless newsy letters, that persuaded me to head down to Covenant for my sophomore year. She had something I was definitely missing at that time… a sense of community, and strong female friendships.

Friends are profoundly important.

I would love for someone to write a book (or even an article!) on How to Make Friends in the Post-College Years. In high school you don’t even realize how many hours are spent in community with others of similar interests. Yes, many of us couldn’t stand the classmates we were stuck with for weeks on end. But overall, high school is a good time for meeting people of similar interests. College can be both very lonely and very stimulating at the same time. Though UNL was not a nurturing environment for me, it forced me to make decisions that proved helpful in creating fantastic friendships. (In a somewhat related vein, I met my future husband during my solitary freshman year — so I count that as a year well spent!) Then, at Covenant College, I quickly met and bonded with the girls on my hall; two were bridesmaids in my wedding the following summer. And even at Missouri Baptist College, where I spent my last three years of undergraduate work, I met great women who I continue to count as friends today. Those were the easy days…

Now things are a bit tougher. Other than coworkers, it’s not simple to meet and become friends with people at all. Friendships develop over time… It’s a rare occasion to meet someone and bond with them instantly. (However, if you are Lou Karre, it just might work! I loved Lou from the get-go.) All this to say that I am profoundly grateful for the friendships, new and old, that I enjoy today. I love my friends. I live for my friends. They build me up, tear me down when necessary, support and encourage me. They bring amazing amounts of light into my days and I consider myself blessed by them. Praise the Lord for friends. (Cue cheesy Michael W. Smith song, And friends are friends forever…)