Good bye heart. Again.

People in your life come and go. Some are close. Some are not. Some you can't wait to exit, others you'd like to hold onto forever.

I have had my fair share of good byes to say over the years. Good bye to child hood friends, familiar neighborhoods, broken toys. Good bye to people I really, really loved whom I'll see again one day when I stand by my Heavenly Father's side. Don't get me wrong, I take comfort in the fact that we'll be reunited. And the childhood sentiments, well, perhaps they are just that.

Today I said good bye to a dear friend. No, she's not passing from this world to the next, but she is moving away from here. Not around the world, but it feels like it when distance is an issue. We'll keep in touch most definately, but you and I both know how things change when you simply can't sit over tea very often for a good long chat.

An unlikely match originally, we've formed a close connection. Much like sisters, sharing a lot in common and bickering over that which we didn't. We've laughed, we cried, we've been there for each other - like so many other sisters I have had in the past. Really, I have been blessed by having had the privillage of knowing some pretty amazing women in my short lifetime. And we all phone,write, message, read each others blogs, visit when it's possible, staying connected on some level. But it saddens my heart to know we won't be in each others presence often, to offer a much needed hug or pat on the back.
The friendships continue but how I do wish I could live in a town filled with ALL my favorite people. Where we could always share a meal, a laugh, a cry or a hug. To be close by.

And that is the reality of life. People coming and going. Saying our hellos and good byes. Loving and letting go. I am reminded of the passage in Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 1 There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:
2 a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
6 a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace
So there you have it my friends. That's what's going in my life today. Wish you all lived closer. We'd have tea and a good long sit.