I’ve always heard people talk about how, with family and close friends, you pick your conversations up right where you left off — how, when you really know someone, the passage of time does nothing to alter the intimacy of the relationship.  But, in my life, I haven’t often been away from people I’m that close to, and this week, I’ve been overwhelmed by this feeling, again and again.

I noticed it with my family when I first got home.  Although their presence is extra precious to me, and I am so grateful and gleeful to be with them that their faces seem almost luminescent, once we’ve been together for about 30 seconds, it truly feels as though only days have passed since we last saw each other.

We talk, we catch up, and we discuss what has transpired since we were last together, but the feeling of closeness and of comfort in each other’s company is unaltered.  It’s so familiar, pleasant and effortless to be with them.  The time that has passed doesn’t change that at all.

I’ve been experiencing this with my family this week, and then, today, I got to see one of my dearest friends and her children.  Our kids ran and played together, and we talked — exactly as we would have a year ago.  In fact, we joked that I really had very little to “catch her up on” — since she’s been reading the blog, she pretty much knows what’s going on with me.

I’ve always felt really lucky that I have such good friends — people who I have known for decades and am still close to.  Experiencing the constancy of such deep friendships is really something special.  And having her bake and bring me my most favorite chocolate chip cookies in the whole world feels pretty special too.