Earlier in the week, when I was considering what I would write today, I didn’t expect to be giving thanks for friends. But news that one of my closest friends is moving 10 hours away is superseding my thoughts and changing my thanksgiving today.

When I was about 11 years old, we moved about an hour away from where I grew up. Moving in adulthood is totally different from moving in childhood. Kids have zero control over going to visit people. If your best friend moves away and your parents aren’t really friends, then you’re just out-of-luck. Our move meant that I wouldn’t see most of my friends again, that we wouldn’t talk much because of long-distance phone calls, that we’d grow apart and I’d have to make new friends.

Moving doesn’t mean that these days. With instant communication through IM or email, facebook, skype, blogs, etc., 10 hours doesn’t seem so far away. Long-distance phone calls don’t even exist anymore.

My friend Jill and I have had a super-fun year or three getting to know one another and sharing our lives. I’m really going to miss seeing her in-the-flesh and sharing everything. But, thanks to the internet, I can pretend like she’s still just across the river.

Today I am thankful for friends (specifically my friend Jill) — they make life fun and more rich. I am thankful for technology that makes the friends farthest away feel a little closer.