Every hour we spent together
Lives within my heart
—When Somebody Loved Me, Sarah McLachlan
My mind traces the lines of mementos in the recesses of our friendships. No more.
Most friendships are transient. Resting only for a second on the whims and seasons of God, taking flight in what seems like an all too soon time.
Scorn. Sadness. Brevity. Remembrance. Acceptance. Time brings acceptance. Understanding. Good memories. Of what things were, of what it meant to look into a friend’s eyes and laugh, or cry, together.
Heirlooms. The heirlooms of precious memories are what cause us not to repeat the same mistakes again, the realization that the hurt helped us learn—that this help has caused healing, in some twisted way.
My mind holds years of precious memories. Painful ones as well. Words spoken carelessly, harshly, deftly aimed to severe. Actions of disregard, whether of subtle, intent, accident, or obvious in nature, all painful. Bury these memories, but leave a tombstone, so that it may read instructions on your heart for the days to come, to new relationships born.
Here lies the lost friendship, dead by dishonesty, or...
Too soon we lost to selfishness the hearts of one another what could have been eternity, or...
Here lies a beautiful season that bore love. And though absence initially causes despair, remember the hearth that warmed out hearts so that this should cause us to be better in not just better days, but the trials, heeding whatever actions made us feel most loved in times of despair.
Friendships end. The world continues on its axis, both unforgiving and bearing overwhelming love at the same time. Regretfully remember nothing, and instead joyously remember the moments you felt loved, when you loved them most, waving a loving a farewell to a past that couldn’t remain a future and look onward to the stores God will continue to set before you.
A simple truth is this, sometimes it’s too late to save a friendship—and many times, they’re not meant to be saved at all, having served His divine purpose—but always recall, should the day begin again, should the light of His creation fill this earth in a new day, it is never too late to be a better friend.
...You will be missed, because your seat will be empty. The day after tomorrow, toward evening, go to the place where you hid when this trouble began, and wait by the stone Ezel. I will shoot three arrows to the side of it, as though I were shooting at a target. Then I will send a boy and say, ‘Go, find the arrows.’ If I say to him, ‘Look, the arrows are on this side of you; bring them here,’ then come, because, as surely as the Lord lives, you are safe; there is no danger. But if I say to the boy, ‘Look, the arrows are beyond you,’ then you must go, because the Lord has sent you away. And about the matter you and I discussed—remember, the Lord is witness between you and me forever.” 1 Samuel 20:18-23
...You will be missed, because your seat will be empty. The day after tomorrow, toward evening, go to the place where you hid when this trouble began, and wait by the stone Ezel. I will shoot three arrows to the side of it, as though I were shooting at a target. Then I will send a boy and say, ‘Go, find the arrows.’ If I say to him, ‘Look, the arrows are on this side of you; bring them here,’ then come, because, as surely as the Lord lives, you are safe; there is no danger. But if I say to the boy, ‘Look, the arrows are beyond you,’ then you must go, because the Lord has sent you away. And about the matter you and I discussed—remember, the Lord is witness between you and me forever.” 1 Samuel 20:18-23
...Then they kissed each other and wept together—but David wept the most. Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, for we have sworn friendship with each other in the name of the Lord, saying, ‘The Lord is witness between you and me, and between your descendants and my descendants forever. ’” Then David left, and Jonathan went back to the town. 1 Samuel 20:41-42
