My Mom demonstrated to me that making new friends is a lifelong process. We spend half our year far from home, and find we need to be deliberate about connecting with new people.

One way that works for us is welcoming other newcomers, whether in our small community, our church or other places we frequent. Some click, some don't.

But it's the same in a lifelong community or a big family. We have been in our neighborhood for forty years, and are cordial with everyone, but only friends with a few. We have dozens of adult nieces and nephews, but enjoy our time with a handful of them far more than the others.