We hope you take some time this month (and beyond!) to show your friends and family that you care about them and appreciate having them in your life.  That may mean spending a little extra time with them, calling them up, dropping a card in the mail, or reaching out in other ways.  In addition, if you enjoyed quality time with family and/or friends in the past in ways that you found particularly meaningful, feel free to share that, too.  Whatever you do or did, we'd love to share it here in hopes of inspiring others to search out their own quality time! 

As this is a site available to anyone and everyone, please do take care to avoid using identifiable details when sharing about your quality time with friends and family.

From Susan:

I have been making an effort to spend more time on a regular basis with my elderly aunt and uncle.  They are somewhat isolated and dealing with lots of issues, so I make it a point to go over to their house once a week for breakfast.  My two cousins (their daughter and son), also make an effort to be there, too.  It's a "standing date" every Wednesday morning, which is nice, because it's something they can count on and look forward to on a weekly basis.  I spend a couple of hours there before going to work, and it's really great because we talk and laugh a lot, especially when we reminisce about my grandparents and my uncles who passed on a long time ago.  We have such a great time, that we forget about our problems, for a little while.  I'm really glad that I live nearby.  And since they are in the late 80's and not in great health, I make the effort to spend time with them while I still have them here.


From Jenni:

It was sometime in late 2011 and, feeling nostalgic, I re-read a transcript of an interview that John had done on The View, I think.  In it he spoke about how he tried to keep in regular contact with his grandparents.  While my family's pretty close-knit and gets together for all of the major holidays and then some, I've never been much of a phone talker.  But something about reading that made me think that I really needed to call my Grandma M. more.  So I started phoning her every so often during my lunch breaks.  I treasure those phone calls now because my Grandma passed away in March 2012.  I am so grateful that John said what he did because, as a result, I have those memories.

A little footnote: My Grandma would call each of her kids and grandkids every year on their birthday.  One year I was out and she had to leave a message.  Thankfully, I never erased the message.  I have it saved now and when my birthday rolls around, I can hear my Grandma wishing me a happy birthday.  Something to think about.  Live conversations are always the best but you never know the impact of a recorded message you might leave for a loved one. 


From Cindy:

As I mulled over the idea of Quality Time for John’s birthday I was also consciously mulling over *where* I had been spending my quality time for the past few years. We know through available articles and interviews that John loved to spend time with people in a variety of ways-including inviting people to his home. I’ve always enjoyed spending time with others, but in the past few years it’s often been outside my home at someone else’s house or through a trip, retreat or place such as a restaurant or park. Of course, I’m still planning those things but this year I’m making a conscious effort to plan more together times at my house as well.
 
I had started thinking about all of this back in the fall. I began doing this during the holidays.  I hosted a craft night (spur of the moment when the venue where we had planned to do this had to cancel) then the Christmas Eve family get-together. 
 
 I’ve also started keeping my niece and nephew at my house again-I used to do that when they lived across the street-but once they got into their dream home, it was ‘come to our house!’ (Now the ‘newness’ is wearing off  *wink* and they are wanting to come spend time here again.) 
 
My ‘adopted’ niece has asked if she can stay with me this summer as she works on her graduate degree. I live closer to the campus than she does so it would give her more study time and less travel time. I’m glad to be able to do this for her.
 
I live out, and only local friends, neighbors and family ‘drop by’ so it is something I actually do have to plan out.  I definitely need to host more craft times and church family gatherings this year.  I also will plan more often to invite friends to my house 'just because'. I’m looking forward to that!