Dear Friends,

How is it already late August? Summer always goes by quickly but a summer that ends with goodbyes seems to go at double the usual pace. We have all been so busy, with work, with college shopping, that I have not gotten to see you nearly as much as I would like. If our last conversation lies deep in the message memory of your phone, I am sorry. I think about texting you often, when I see a cute dog on the street or a sweater that I know you would like. It’s hard when we are all going off in different directions, and so soon. Some of you have already left, but the hardest goodbyes are yet to come. Chances are that I have admired you as long as I have known you, and I probably haven’t told you enough. I know this first year of college will be crazy but even if it is just on your birthday, I would love to keep in touch. Each one of you is tied to a specific set of memories; maybe we got close during a play, or at rowing practice, or when we sat next to each other in class. It was so much fun to talk to you, and I mourn the fact that those days are over. If you’re thinking, “Should I instagram this picture of my dorm room?” “Should I tweet about my feelings late at night?”, do it. Social media can bring us all together even from thousands of miles away, and I appreciate getting a look into your new life. I hope that you have so much fun on college and on any new adventures, and I’m glad that you look so happy in the pictures you posted on Facebook. Also, if you need someone to talk to I’m always here, no matter how long it has been since we last spoke. I will be glad to see your name light up on my phone, a familiar face or word from home is always more than welcome. We are bound together by our shared experiences even through months of silence, so don’t be alarmed if I text you as if it has been only days since I saw you last. I wish we had the chance to get one more cup of coffee, one more ice cream cone before we all part our separate ways but I know how these last few weeks go, and that your days are probably filled with mall runs and last minute summer work. Mine are too, even though I wish they weren’t. I wish we could have another month, even another semester of school, just to bring back those times that we once had. Even texting you about school was so much fun. In the future we will not have as many shared stories or assignments to commiserate over, but we will have new things to talk about. I look forward to getting caught up on your life, and hope you will stay in touch to do the same. I am so glad to know you, and promise that next time I see a sweater I think you'll love, I’ll let you know.

Morgan