Meeting up with a friend and his kids

I have a friend who used to work the same job that I did at Kuwait University (junior computer engineer). He left the job and then I took his place. That was in 2005. He was visiting our department to say hi to his old colleagues shortly after I got hired, which is how we met the first time.

We then went out together because we had shared interests. It just so happened that we also got married on the same day (prior to knowing each other). And with time, we ended up having children around the same time, too! His son is almost the same age as my twins and his daughter is around the same age as my younger daughter.

Last night he wanted to check if I’m free to go out for dinner. My wife and older daughter were going to a wedding so I checked if his kids would be free to join us. Our sons used to be friends but they drifted apart over the years.

It was nice to have them reconnect again and to enjoy a dinner together. Now that I’m on sabbatical, I want to be more intentional about reconnecting with family and friends, and to have my family be part of these gatherings.

How often do you see your family and friends? What helps (or would help) you meet up with them more frequently?