Tell Them

 



I just returned from my 50th college reunion. Something about the weekend made me want to write about it. 

This weekend, I told several people what their friendship has meant to me.

I’ve written about friendship before, but this reunion hit me hard. Fifty years out of college. So much life since those days, and still, memories that bring us right back.

This weekend, I wanted people to know what I remembered. What I appreciated. What their friendship had meant to me then and what it still means now.

One friend I’ve known since I was fourteen. I told him that, back then, I had told my mother I was going to marry him. He laughed and said he wished he’d known. He, too, said that our friendship had been very special back then.

I told another friend that he had made my sophomore year in college special and that I would never forget that. He thanked me and said my words meant a lot. Then he shared a few memories of his own. It meant so much to hear what he remembered, too.

A friend and I wiped away tears as I told her how much her friendship from when we were 17 and 18 years has meant to me. We may not see one another regularly but the connection is there. Another dear friend smiled broadly as I recalled memories and told her what she had meant to me. we picked up exactly where we left off six years ago. 

I also noticed how much closer I felt to people who had been acquaintances in college. Over the years, we’ve connected through LinkedIn and other social media, sharing bits of our lives and getting to know one another better. This weekend, I felt a warmth and familiarity that hadn’t been there fifty years ago. Some friendships have grown long after we left campus.

I think I surprised them all with how openly I shared my feelings. And I surprised myself, too, by being so bold. These were things I had carried with me for years, but saying them out loud felt different. I’m glad I did.

Sometimes we assume people know. We think they must realize how much we appreciated their kindness, enjoyed their company, or treasured something we shared. But perhaps we’ve never actually said it.

We aren’t promised tomorrow. That thought felt especially close this weekend.

So tell people what their friendship has meant to you. Be specific. Bring up the memory. Rehash the story, even if you’ve told it before. Let them hear what you’ve carried with you all these years.


You might be surprised by what they remember, too. Or by how much your words mean to them.

I’m glad I said what I did this weekend.

It’s important.

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