Last month I wrote about meeting a new friend, and described the best I could, the spiritual dance that occurred before we actually said yes to the friendship.
It was like the volume of her spirit was turned up and speaking to me even before our first conversation.
There were a few other encounters I remembered after writing the last post, which has made the whole experience even richer for me. AND I have put off writing this post for nearly three weeks because it meant that I would have to finally accept that she is leaving (now, in a few short days).
I recently learned that she and her husband are planning to return to California to be near her parents and get the support and help she needs with her boys. I know how difficult it is to raise two small kids with limited help, and family who lives out of state. I totally get this, and I am thrilled for her! I am not however, happy about the lost weekly play date which I have grown to rely on, nor watching my son processing the loss of his first ‘best’ friend, or the sadness I feel as I avoid their imminent departure!
As I go over how I feel about this beautiful friendship and what it has meant to me, it reminded me of this poem.
Reason, Season, Lifetime
People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime.
When you figure out which one it is,
you will know what to do for each person.
When someone is in your life for a REASON,
it is usually to meet a need you have expressed.
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 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 now it is time to move on.
Some people come into your life for a SEASON,
because your turn has come to share, grow or learn.
They 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;
things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation.
Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person,
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.
— Unknown
I know I am not saying good bye to the beautiful friendship we have spent the last several months cultivating. I believe she and I are a “lifetime” kind of connection, which is spirit filled and delivers meaning over the course of time. I know I will transition into embracing the distance, and that we will continue to find a way to stay connected, but it doesn’t change the sadness I feel I we prepare for their departure.
How do you deal with (or avoid) your own transitions?
