Silver and Gold

I've been thinking a lot about friendship recently. I have always been blessed with great friends no matter what my situation happens to be. I'm actually amazed sometimes (though I really shouldn't be at this point) at how God places just the right person in my life at just the right time, and though I may not see it at the time, they always serve some sort of purpose. I guess that may be sort of obvious, but sometimes I just don't see the big picture.

Recently I've begun to come to terms with the fact that friends, even those who are really close, eventually drift apart whether emotionally or geographically. It's an inevitable part of life, but that doesn't necessarily make it any easier. I struggled for a long time with the fact that I may never live near my best friends and that eventually we would only see each other on holidays, and then maybe once a year, and then maybe...I don't know. I didn't get that far because I didn't want to think about it.

What I've realized is that there will always be people who drift in and out of my life. Some will be around for awhile, others only a short time. Some of my closest friendships have lasted less than three years, some more than 20. Almost all of my closest friends live at least 100 miles away. Many live much farther away than that. At the end of the day, the friendships that truly count are with people who, no matter how much time has passed, can strike up the same old conversation without missing a beat. It's always comfortable, never awkward. There's no rehashing of old wrongs, or any drama. Just two (or more) people who God chose to bring together.

The reason I brought up this subject is that one of my best friends just returned from her LDS mission in Argentina. She was gone for 18 months, which seemed like a lifetime for two people who spent nearly every day together for at least four summers. It was a long time, but not as unbearable as I had imagined. The worst times were right after she left and the last few weeks before she returned. I worried that things wouldn't be the same and that maybe we wouldn't be as close as we were before. Eighteen months is a long time to go without talking to someone. It's always when I'm expecting the worst when I am pleasantly surprised by something better. As soon as she walked in the door, it was like she never left. Right now I'm having a hard time believing she was even gone except that she knows a lot of Spanish and has pictures to prove she was in Argentina!

I love how God blesses me in so many little ways. He proves to me time and time again that even the little details of my life matter to Him. I tend to have a hard time believing that sometimes, and I really shouldn't because I'm continually being proven wrong.

I'm thankful to each and every one of you out there who I am privileged enough to call my friend. You are all amazing. The end. :)

"Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another, "What! You too? I thought I was the only one!"

--C.S. Lewis