Absence Makes The Heart Grow Fonder?

I have known for a while that I am a people person. At times, I am shy when meeting new people but overall I am a people person. I love people. I love being around people. I love having people around. Recent events and series of thoughts have brought this fact to the forefront. A couple weeks ago my roomate Ed moved out. He moved back to Chicago to live at home since he got a job up there, which he was unable to do down here. Since Ed left, I have had to become accustomed to going home to an empty house again. No roomate, no pets, no one here. I come home to a house waiting for me to come turn on a light to signify some sort of human presence. Also, I have been thinking about some upcoming changes in my life. These are not drastic gigantic changes but siginificant nonetheless. At the end of this semester, my good friend Squeaky will go on his internship. I have realized that since my return to the area, I have built a strong friendship with Squeaks. When I hang out with people, it is usually with a group of people that includes Squeaky. He is my accountability partner. He is one of my closest friends. Most likely he will not be on his internship anywhere close. My prayer is that God puts him in the right place where ever that is. Our friendship will change. We will not hang out as much or talk as often, this is ok. Moreover, when summer comes more of my friends will either go home or begin a new chapter in their lives. Derek, Nolan, Roomie, Ross, Dan, Rachel, Hammer, Crazy Zack, each will most likely not be close by when summer comes. I know that in the absence of each of these friendships God will provide another. He created each of us for relationships. He said, it is not good for man to be alone. As a result, he created Eve. He will provide someone to fill that void. Not as a replacement but as another bright light in a beautiful sky of friendship. The point of this post is not to be saddened by these changes but to remind us to cherish our friends and the impact they make on our lives. Take time to tell your friends how much they mean to you and how much you love them.

to each of you who has touched my life and given me the honor and privilege to be blessed enough to be called your friend, I say thank you and I love you, may my life have blessed yours as deeply and richly as you have blessed mine...