Once again, I have not written for three weeks. This time I was attending the Graduate School of Banking in Madison, WI. I graduated on August 15. Even though it feels great to have completed the program, I’m sad that I won’t see my friends again… some of them, I may never see again. Those who know me well know that I do keep in touch with everyone. I try to stay connected via email, lunch or coffee meetings, or a phone call when I can. I don’t let busyness keep me from nurturing my relationships and it has paid off through my life. I have developed deep relationships with many wonderful people and God has blessed me with their friendships.
Because of this recent school experience, I have been reflecting on how much I care and love my friends. Why do I get so attached to people? I believe that family and friends are a gift from God. It’s easy to take for granted those who love us despite our imperfections and mistakes we make in life. Life is all about relationships—relationships we make since we are very young all the way until we die. All the people we touch along the way and throughout our journey here on earth are important and valuable. I think the reason I get so attached to my friends is because I had to flee Nicaragua back when I was 13 years old and had to leave all my friends behind. Then again, when I left Dominican Republic at 19 to move to the U.S. I had to leave all my friends all over again… Now, whenever I make new friends, I hang on to them for the rest of my life! I am thankful for technology these days that allows us to stay connected all the time and as much as we want to.
Today, I encourage you to connect with your friends. Reconnect with some of those friends you used to love to hand out with, the ones that made you laugh, the ones you cried with when you were sad, those who love you regardless of your mood. Reach out to people and spend time nurturing your relationships. It is all worth it. Like the president of my class said the night he received his diploma, “It’s about relationships.”
You can impact somebody else’s life just by a simple phone call or text at the right time in their lives. When you think of somebody, reach out to them. Tell that person how much you care about him or her. Don’t wait until it’s too late. Don’t wait until they don’t even remember your name anymore because it’s been so long… Stay connected. People need to know that somebody cares about them—all the time. You have the power to do that for somebody today.