Good Friends & Conversation Starters

I have had the pleasure to have conversations with 3 of my oldest friends in the past week--two via e-mail/Facebook (gotta love it!) and one phone call.  Isn't it funny how no matter where we are in life, our good friends always have a way of sneaking back into our lives when we need them the most?  

I was so fortunate to have a handful of truly spectacular people in my childhood that I still manage to keep up with today.  I think the interesting thing about these folks is our ability to immediately fall into the familiar banter that only lifelong friends can enjoy--the inside jokes, the implications from simple sentences, and the things left unsaid because there is no need to rehash the past, we just KNOW.  

I have never considered myself an extrovert.  I like people fine, but I'm not going to go out of my way usually to greet you if we don't have a history.  I will usually provide the courtesy smile and maybe a generic, "How's it going?" but that's about it.  I'm just not clever enough to come up with a conversation piece I guess.  For example, there are times I purposely avoid going into church at the beginning of the service because I loathe the handshaking time--isn't that terrible?!  I'm a minister's wife for crying out loud!  I'm supposed to be an example to others about the wonderful fellowship of the Lord.  I'm not anti-fellowship, but I am very chained to my seat.  I know a few other people who are the same way, and it makes me feel so good to know I can go talk to them and not feel so weird and awkward.  I remember being chastised by a particular campus minister (ahem KS) for not going to greet new students when they visited our organization.  I had no way to explain to this extrovert that the idea of talking to a strange adult made me almost want to vomit a little....or perhaps a little pee in the pants.  And honestly, it's not something that has gotten better with practice.  I'm still not any good at it almost 10 years later!!!  

I don't know what it is--I like people, honestly, just don't make me go talk to them first!

The wonderful thing about these particular friends is that I never need a clever conversation starter--it just is what it is.  

I love these friends and I hope at the end of the day they know I love and miss them terribly.