“Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: What! You too? I thought I was the only one.”   –C.S. Lewis

Last week was a great experience. My husband and I took both our sets of parents as well as several other couples we are friends with along with our son Dalton and his girlfriend down to Lake Powell to spend the week on our houseboat. It was so nice to spend time away from everything just bonding with family and friends. It was also nice to introduce a few couples we are friends with to other couples we are friends with and to see each of them form friendships between them as well. As different people began talking they discovered that many of them have been through similar experiences in their lives and you could see the bonds of friendship begin to form and deepen as people saw that others could relate to things they too had been through. There is something really comforting when you discover others who can relate to how you feel or how you have felt. I think that is often the thing that leads to lifelong friendships…

It isn’t often in life that we take time to truly unplug and get away from everything and just put ourselves in a situation where we can really spend time talking with one another. I think that is one of the many reasons I love taking trips to Lake Powell. We are away from the internet and cell phone service so it is a rare situation where we actually spend time talking and playing games and getting to know each other better. And it is through those conversations and that time together that our best friendships in life are formed and they truly are friendships that last a lifetime.

I realize that not everyone lives near Lake Powell, but I think everyone should figure out a way to unplug once in a while from internet and cell phones and just spend time talking and getting to know other people so you can form true friendships with them. We all need to do it more with our own families and with other people we want to form friendships with. We get so distracted these days by our addiction to our computers and cell phones that we never take time to just talk to people about meaningful things. And the only way it is ever going to happen is if we force ourselves to make time for it and make it a priority. But I can tell you that it is worth doing, big time!

I am grateful for the amazing friends and family I am blessed to associate with in my life. And as busy as my own life is, I know that when I look back on this summer ten years from now I would never remember what I had done if I had stayed back to work last week, but I will always remember the memories I made spending that time with my dear friends and family. Those are moments I will never forget.

This week’s challenge is to make time to unplug and talk to the people that matter in your life, and make time to make a few new friends as well. I guarantee when you look back at this week you will remember it if you do.

Have a great one everyone!

~Amy