Saying Goodbye

I had dinner tonight with a dear friend. We met in church about 12 years ago, and although, church-wise, we have taken separate paths, our relationship has both grown and endured. She is the one I talk with the most. It's not uncommon for us to be on the phone for 2 to 3 hours at a time, talking about everything we can think of. She is one of my treasures - we will be friends forever, period.

Recently she let me know that she will be moving from Michigan to North Carolina where her husband has found a job. Probably she will be leaving in a few short months, if their plans come to fruition. Times like these cause me to reflect upon the times we've shared, the roads we've traveled together, even the tough times we've battled through. What I'm going to lose.

I'm really going to miss her. I was so comfortable with her easy availability. I know I can call her or email her whenever I want, but it's not the same as that face-to-face contact. We can't get together whenever we want. We will increasingly have fewer and fewer shared experiences. She will make new friends and have increasingly more shared experiences with them. I will hear names of new friends that I don't know. I will be part of the past. Long distance relationships can and do work, I know. I'm really going to miss her, and I think she's going to miss me too.

Thankfully, we are both dependent upon God for our lives, and we know that His plans for us are good. I will always treasure the times we have shared over the last 12 years and trust that God will continue to shape our relationship into what He wants it to be. I remember a Twila Paris song that she wrote when Keith Green died. Some of the words were, ". . . do I trust you Lord when I have to cry?" I'm sure that there will be tears, but I do trust Him with our lives.