Another farewell

The good-bye  party has come and gone. The twenty five or so of us that were present had a wonderful time eating, laughing and sharing memories with our friend Sara.  As an aside, I was able to do only one of the previously mentioned desserts (the truffles---which were a BIG hit).  However, I substituted a carrot cake for the petit fours and this was also highly rated. 

As I have had time to think about my friend leaving and how different it will be to not see her every Sunday (and some other days in between), I realized how different my feelings are at this stage of my life compared to years past.  When I was in high school, I thought my friends would be my friends forever;  but I went off to college and remained close to only a few of those girls. I stayed at one college for two years before transferring into my dental hygiene program.  I made some very close friends while there and also thought they would all be my forever friends; yet, only a couple of them remain my friend today.  My dental hygiene class consisted of only 16 girls--it was like two years of being sorority sisters--we shared a very special bond.  We tried to keep "us" together after graduation, but life took most of us in different directions.  I am pretty close with one of these classmates but we live 90 miles apart so our visits have become fewer over the past decade (i.e kids activities take over).  After college, I had five roommates in three different houses over a six year period.  I had some great times with all of them and enjoyed living with them.  I was also heavily involved in a Young Life leadership group during this time and was fortunate to have more than just friends, but also sisters in Christ.  Those were also some great years and great friendships.  Of course, a group of twenty somethings can never remain static. One by one,  4 of my 5 roommates moved on to a new job out of town, and eventually married.  The same happened with my Young Life friends--although most stayed around the area--we all moved on to other ministries and were involved in different churches.  Yes, there are still a few of these friends that I am in touch with regularly but for the most part we (and our spouses and now our children) have gone our separate ways.  Since I have been married, we have had friends come and go. I was very involved in MOPS when my children were small, then moved on to Fun with Faith while they were in elementary school.  These women were such an important part of my life as we shared our lives as moms to babies/preschoolers/school aged kids.  But, the kids grew up and the moms went on to different ministries or back to work or moved.  So, here I am.  Thankful for facebook that has allowed me to keep up with friends who now live all over the country (and one who is about to leave for a year in Rwanda with her family to serve as missionaries). I suppose the point of this whole post is that I realize I have been given friends for seasons of life.  Some may be my friends for life (and yes, I still meet regularly with my freshman roommate to celebrate our birthdays.) but most have just left some precious memories and I am so grateful to have shared even a few years with most of these girls/women.  I have discovered that someone doesn't have to be a lifetime friend to be a special friend.   I met my friend Sara less that four years ago and now she is relocating to the midwest.  Sad, oh yes.  But, rather than dwell on her absence, I can just be thankful that God brought her into my life for the time that he did.  And, as with all of my 'friends of old' I can be sure that she is now no farther than a post on facebook or a quick text.

And friends are friends forever

If the Lord is the Lord of them.

And a friend will not say "never"

Cause the welcome will not end.

Though it's hard to let you go..

In the Father's hands we know,

That a lifetime's not too long to live as friends.