Good Friends

Good friends visiting from California left today and I wandered around the house for several hours feeling rather empty. I know that time and distance will not change our friendship because even with many switchbacks along our paths, it has endured for 38 years. They are the ones I call when a new grandchild is born or Mark heads off in an ambulance knowing that they will either rejoice with me or weep with me. I was excited to show them our new home and the time together was relaxed yet filled with new sights and sounds as we explored Southern Arizona. It did not matter whether we were in search of the perfect guacamole bowl or just the right plant for the front yard, we had a great time doing it. I was delighted to be able to introduce them to new friends and observe the natural flow of conversation occur between the old and new. I knew then that God had provided wonderful people to love and care for us here, too. Consider this favorite essay of mine on the seasons of friendship as you give thanks of the special people in your life:

Friendship

People come into your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime.

When you figure out which it is, you know exactly what to do.

When someone is in your life for a REASON, it is usually to meet a need you have expressed outwardly or inwardly. They have come to assist you through a difficulty, to provide you with guidance and support, to aid you physically, emotionally, or spiritually. They may seem like a godsend, and they are. They are there for the reason you need them to be. Then, without any wrongdoing on your part or at an inconvenient time, this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end. Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away. Sometimes they act up or out and force you to take a stand. What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled; their work is done. The prayer you sent up has been answered and it is now time to move on.

When people come into your life for a SEASON, it is because your turn has come to share, grow, or learn. They may bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh. They may teach you something you have never done. They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy. Believe it! It is real! But, only for a season.

LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons; those things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation. Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person/people (any way); and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life. It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant.

Remember too that you will come into other people’s lives for the same three reasons.

Thank you for being a part of my life.