So much of what I love, and what I read, and how I speak, and how I spend my time, and who I am, has been fashioned in some small way by the many friendships I've been blessed to have throughout my life.
Making friends, getting a glimpse into someone's heart, and letting them into your own, is such a gift. As a kid, finding a friend who values jumping on the trampoline, and orange popsicles as much as you do, brings confidence. In high school, making friends in Art Club, or in the choir, who has common interests, brings direction and purpose. As an adult, finding a friend who has also spent sleepless nights caring for a sick child, or struggled to make the perfect loaf of bread, brings comfort and strength.
If I value friendship so much, and I do, why is it so easy for me to lose touch with friends who at one time were such an important part of my life?
The answer isn't a justifiable one, but the truth is that I just get busy. Life moves fast, and sometimes I just don't make time for the things that matter most.
As only she can, Jane Austen penned the words,
“There is nothing I would not do for those who are really my friends. I have no notion of loving people by halves, it is not my nature.”
I have been loving by halves, and it's not my nature either.
Sometimes stretching your comfort zone just means finally doing the things you've known you should do for a long time.
I started small, (a good way to start), and thought of one friend whom I've often thought of, but rarely let know. My list of friends who fall into this category is extensive, (including many of you reading this post), and I have high hopes of reestablishing contact and friendship with all of them, but today I started with just one.
Fighting back embarrassment for being absent for so long, and suddenly showing up in their inbox, I wrote an email full of reminiscing, sincere interest in catching up, and a hope for a renewed friendship.
An email is a simple gesture, for sure. It's going to take more than just shooting off an email to reestablish a friendship, but it's a start. The next step, I think, is to make time regularly and faithfully for the things, and the friendships, that matter most...to stop loving by halves.
Today's a new day, let's make it purposeful!
Kara
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