Maybe I'm sad about graduating - or getting there, anyway.
Maybe I'm just on one of those emotional roller coaster rides that comes around every so often and isn't really justified. (Or I'm just a girl and, let's be real, I'm always emotional.)
Maybe I have just suddenly become "older" and "wiser" and now see the value in things I once took for granted.
Regardless of my current situation and state of mind (or the fact that it's almost midnight and
way past my bedtime), I am feeling overwhelmed by my
friendships.
Not in a bad way. No, in a very good way.
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Friendships have always been something on which I have placed a lot of weight, and at times, have relied on too much, regardless of being the independent person that I am. (Let's be honest; it's nice to be surrounded by people who
want to be around you!) It has only been within the last few years, I think, that I have seen a clearer picture of what
real, genuine friendships are like.
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Friends have come and gone in my life. Some friendships last a month, others last a year, and still others last years and years and years.
I don't really know what it is about friendship that makes it so meaningful. Scratch that; I
know why friendships mean so much to me, but
putting these thoughts and feelings into words is way too difficult.
Maybe that's why friendship is so special -- It's one of those largely
inexplicable things in life. A thing that makes life so
sweet;
worthwhile;
fun;
joyful;
emotional. It is a way to genuinely share life with other people. It is
community at its finest; fellowship with another being - a living, moving, breathing, soulful being.
It is encompassed in those late night conversations about anything and everything, silly and serious. It is sharing your struggles, fears, joys, and daily happenings. It is speaking truth in love. It is telling a friend that one small thing you found funny about your day that only they would understand. It is unexplained laughter that you just can't seem to stifle. It is sharing tears and prayers, meals and celebrations, chaos and stillness.
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I am overwhelmed in this moment as I reflect on my friendships of long ago. And the sweetness of knowing that some of them have lasted through the years (despite miles, schedules, and life paths in general) - that brings
joy to my heart.
And the deep bond I experience with friends who are close by; who surround me literally everyday with
love and
encouragement; who I can interact with like
sisters and speak openly and honestly in their presence.....
It is so, so obvious to me that this is one of the things we were
created for.
And I am incredibly thankful for that.
+ + +
"The friendship is not a reward for our discriminating and good taste in finding one another out. It is the instrument by which God reveals to each of us the beauties of others."
C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves
