keep in contact with my friends

I have put my friends aside to raise my children. Living in the midwest it was difficult for me to understand others with what I call followers. I work at being a leader or trail blazer. I am the oldest in my family and never felt close to any one person. My friends I have met while traveling have since became my new Christ family. However, they are spread across the U.S. it makes it hard to keep in contact other than email or phone.