Friends for a Season

I was texting with one of the youth members last night and somehow it got onto the conversation about moving on through life and having to leave friends.  As we get older, we see we have friends only for a time and we should not take them for granted.  Yes, a few friends I’ve had almost a lifetime but at certain times we are closer than others.  I started to think of a few friends that I don’t hardly speak to anymore but at the time we were inseparable most of the time. These certainly aren’t a full listing of my friends and none of my closest ones are listed, just ones that from each step in life I’ve realized I don’t connect with anymore.    There’s nothing happened that I don’t talk to these people any more but simply life.  I’ve moved or they’ve moved or we just don’t have certain places or things in common anymore.

Ages 6-8.  Kristyn.  We went to school together. I took piano lessons from her mother.  “Everyone” thought we were twins.  I remember her dad having an Apple computer and cutting my leg on a chained link fence (I did that, not her dad lol) at her neighbor’s house.

Ages 11-13 Sallie.  She was my middle school friend.  She was the sleep-over, theme-park go-er, Wayne’s World watching, first boy-girl parties friend.

Ages 11-17 Shelley.  This was my youth group friend.  Besides Heather, she was the one with whom I did everything at church and a few times outside of church.

Ages 18-21 All my college friends.  I ate lunch with them, studied with them, went to class with them, went to cultural events, even worked with one of them.

Also Penny was a friend during that timeframe.  Penny was even my bridesmaid.  It’s sort of odd looking at wedding pictures now and seeing someone I don’t really talk to anymore.  Not that we wouldn’t talk, it’s just we don’t.

I got married right at 20 years old and since then, I’ve worked in the same job and have gone to the same church.  I didn’t go to graduate school so my circle of friends have somewhat stayed the same.  I’ve gained some new friends from working with the youth, both adult and children.  But even some of those have moved on and we don’t talk on a normal basis.

I don’t know why I share this except to say enjoy your friends.  I truly miss some of those relationships and they probably won’t ever be restored or replaced.  Some friendships are there for a lifetime but others are but for a season.  Enjoy your friends today.