Friends

Sometimes, you look back on a time in your life and say, "I didn't notice how blessed I was then". You may have been too busy to notice, it might have been something too small to notice at the time, or you may just have not known enough to notice the really great things, until they were gone.

Well...

In the case of friendship, this was not the case for me. Last year, I had a group of AMAZING friends. At both church and school, I was blessed to be around some of the most amazing girls and guys anyone could ever know. These were people who were always there to encourage me, to pray with me, or to just listen when I needed them. They were spiritually uplifting, and I think this is the most important aspect of a friendship. One of the most difficult things for me when I was leaving for college was having to face leaving these people behind. I realized how rare the friendships I had were, and I tried to treasure every minute of it. The time passed too quickly, and we all either went to different colleges or stayed back home.

And thus ended these wonderful friendships.

...Ok. Not really.

We all still keep in touch. I was talking to one of my more...how shall I put this delicately... -cynical- friends *ps, if you're reading this, don't deny it, you know it's true :)* the other day about the friendships I had in high school, and he told me about how they wouldn't last. I got depressed for about two seconds at the thought of losing my old friends. But then I realized that while a lot of friendships don't last, we had a strong bond holding us together. We are not only friends, but we are brothers and sisters in Christ, and that is the strongest bond.

When we start new phases in our lives, we are often told that we should move on, make new friends, make a new start.

I have met many amazing people here so far, and I know I will continue to do so. But I also know that I don't have to lose my old friends, because "friends are friends forever, if the Lord's the Lord of them." (Friends, Michael W. Smith)

So look at the friends you have now. Treasure them, and tell them you treasure them. To hear that someone really values your friendship is one of the most encouraging things you can hear. And the beauty of friendships is that you don't have to take away friends when you add new ones- you can just keep adding more.

Be Salt and Light!

~Hannah~