Here's a few tips on developing and maintaining long term relationships. Who do you want to grow old with?

Danielle and I had several friends that we were extremely close with move away from St. Augustine. It was an incredibly sad time for us as they were all dear friends who were a great part of our journey with the Lord. We had talked about things from our kids growing up together to all of us living in the same nursing home. We were going to miss them greatly!

After about six months of all of us being scattered apart, we decided we needed to have a long weekend together each year. It wouldn’t be the only time we would see each other, but it was “required” that we all be there for this particular time. We were going to do our best to grow old together even if proximity was a challenge.

Over the past few years of doing this I’ve learned some things that have been helpful in developing long term relationships:

Prayer- praying for these folks on a regular basis is essential to our relationships with each other. We have a time of prayer when we are together each year and continue to follow up and pray for those requests throughout the year.

Authenticity- being vulnerable with each other is key. We share our joys, triumphs, tragedies, struggles and tears. Being able to do this in an environment without judgment but full of love and genuine concern makes this easy to do.

Intentionality- being intentional with these relationships is also important. We make sure to set a date every year to be together and we stick with it!

Fun- although we all have different personalities and interests, we make sure to have fun with each other when we are together. From cooking meals together to playing games to joking around, fun is at the forefront of almost all we do.

I would encourage you to think about the relationships that are precious to you in your life and what it looks like for you to grow old together with these folks.

-Kyle Hausbrouck