Wait. What? I tightened my grip on the notebook paper and reread the sentence: “Then my parents told us that we were moving- to Bentonville, Arkansas.” No, no, no! I kept reading Michaela’s letter, feeling numb inside. After the fifth read through, the knowledge that my best friend would be moving hours away finally sunk in. I clutched her letter in my hand, laid down on my side, and started to sob. I couldn’t imagine my life without Michaela. I… Read more »

A long-distance friendship can stink… but it can also be really awesome! I’ve talked about long-distance friendships here on Joy Because Grace before (see this post containing tips and stories and this post about what to do before your friend moves). Today, I’m going to be telling you about my all-time favorite way to stay in touch with my long-distance bestie. :) Quick backstory… My best friend Michaela and I have had a long-distance friendship for about 8 or so years. Over the years, we… Read more »

A year ago I wrote a post entitled, “3 Ways to Maintain a Long Distance Friendship,” which was basically a long distance friendship survival guide. Today, I want to share what to do before your best friend moves to help prepare yourself for the change. This upcoming December, one of my current best friends is going to move 7.5ish hours away. Not exactly a happy situation in my book. This will be my fourth best friend who moves away. So I have… Read more »

Two handwritten letters changed my life. When I was in 7th grade my best friend (named M) wrote me a letter telling me that she and her family had to move to a different state for her dad’s job. I finished reading the letter and laid on my floor and cried and cried and cried. Summer after freshman year of college, I received a letter from my best friend who I had met at college (named R) saying she wasn’t… Read more »