CHANGE CAN BE BITTERSWEET

As a general rule, I like change. This makes me part of the minority since, I guess, a majority of the population is not a fan - go figure. I tend to get bored easily (I think I've had about 8 different shower curtains in the 11 years I've lived in this house, and twice that many different hair styles). I love to see new places, meet new people and learn new things. Too much of the same thing makes me restless and even slightly depressed.

However, sometimes change is bittersweet. A very good friend of mine just got a new job. I'm really excited for her, and I think it's a great fit for her talents and abilities. She's over the moon about it, too. It's always a very cool thing to see joyful anticipation in people you care about.

But with every new thing, even good ones, there comes the inevitable changes.

For several years now, she and I have been "work at home" buddies. It wasn't like we could get together every day (we both worked, after all - and yes, you DO work, even if you do it from home), but we did see each other several times a week, mostly during my daily 30 minutes of dog walking. We would grab a quick lunch when we needed a break. Now, I won't see her nearly as much. That's just the reality.

And, I'll miss her.

It doesn't make me any less happy for her, or keep me from wishing and praying for her success in this new venture, but it does make me the teeniest bit sad for myself. Friends are precious commodities to me.

Life is like that, though. Even when we care about people, we don't always float on the same current. It's inevitable - jobs change, people marry or have babies or move - and suddenly, that person you saw all the time, you now see maybe once a month, if that.

I remember when my kids were tiny, I had a group of women I saw weekly, if not more often. They were the only adult voices, sometimes, in a world of Dora the Explorer , diapers and sippy cups. We kept each other sane. We made each other laugh. We promised each other that we weren't scarring our kids for life because we fed them mac and cheese again and let them watch an hour of television. Most of those women I see rarely now. Months go by without us being able to sync our schedules.

So, life will change. Again.

But that's okay. "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans, not to harm you, but to give you a hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

God has great plans for her. God has great plans for me, too. Change doesn't have to be the death knell of a friendship. Sometimes, it even makes a good thing better.

~ Blessings, Bronte