During the late ’80s, we lived in the same metropolitan area as we attended graduate school, and we struck up a strong friendship. Our lives were in synch as we reached various milestones together: we met our husbands; had our bridal showers; and got married. I helped coordinate her wedding and she was my matron of honor.

In the ensuing years, I moved five hours away and eventually got divorced. She settled comfortably into family life with a gorgeous home, two children, and a dog.

Needless to say, distance and circumstance pulled us apart, and our phone conversations and visits became less frequent before eventually stopping altogether.

It’s not that we planned on drifting apart. Or even gave it much thought. It just happened as other priorities took hold of our lives.

A few weeks back, I received an invitation to her oldest son’s bar mitzvah, which I accepted without hesitation.

Yesterday I decided to call her to finalize plans. It was so wonderful to hear her voice! Time melted away as we fell into comfortable conversation and tried to catch up on our respective life changes and family matters. As we spoke, it struck me how so many things had changed — but how nothing really had.

And that is the great thing about the connections we make as we travel through life. Friends truly are “the family we choose for ourselves.” When we connect with another human being, he or she becomes a crucial part of the fabric of our lives. And just as with family, the constructs of distance and time do not diminish the love we have for them in our hearts.

The upcoming holiday season is a great time to reconnect with old friends and extended family. Why not make the first move, pick up the phone and make the call? You’ll be happy you did.