Life has a strange way of putting certain people in your life who just fit. People talk about making fast friends with someone, and I know first hand this can happen.
That happened when I first moved to Newton, and I am thankful every day for it. Even though that friend has sinced moved away, we still try to remain close. She was one of the first people I texted after I got engaged. We try to plan time to visit each other even though our busy schedules are hard to manage at times
I was able to finally visit her in her new home a few weekends ago, and it was so awesome to catch up and actually talk to each other face to face. I was able to ask her to be in my wedding and even recruited her to take engagement photos for us. We were both very excited for the project.
I was so happy as she shared the new and exciting things going on in her life. It was great to see her in her new element. I immediately wanted to plan another trip to see her.
The next week, I met up with a high school friend for our traditional birthday dinner (even if it was a month late). She was born a day after my sister and I; and after we all got steady jobs semi-close to one another, we have tried to meet up for our birthdays and have a “catch-up” session.
She is in education like my sister, so they have fun trading stories about the funny things their “kids” do. I am always able to mix in a few stories of my own. We have known each other since kindergarten, and it is fantastic to sit there as the time apart melts away. It’s just like old times again. We sat there for hours after our food was consumed talking and laughing. It was such a great time.
Not all friendships are made to last however. I read a Facebook post the other day that was written in letter form to “my ex-best friend.” Even though I had amazing catch up sessions with good friends, it still made me pause and think of past friends I never see anymore.
It brought to mind a particular person to whom I used to be very close. The post didn’t completely apply because we knew each other when Facebook was just starting (though I get the occasional Timehop photo or Facebook memory), but the sentiment was the same.
We spent hours upon hours together at college, living as roommates for the final three years. We shared everything and did everything together. I got to know her family, and she got to know mine. It felt like we would be friends forever.
Sadly, it didn’t take long for us to grow apart, and it was not my choice. This person simply changed after college, and I wasn’t part of that change. I don’t begrudge her; however, because I have so many treasured memories from our years together. I still consider her a friend, so if she ever truly needed something and reached out, I would be there for her.
Unfortunately, I know that will most likely never happen. I have accepted this. I try not to let it affect how I act around new people, but perhaps it has caused me to be more careful than I used to be. I’ll never know for sure.
Instead of dwelling on the past, I think of the good times we had; but more importantly, I cherish even more those people in my life who make it better. I have a special appreciation for the ones who have stuck with me through good times and bad times and for the others who have been there for only a few years. My friends mean the world to me. I’m going to make a point to tell them that. Friendship is one of the greatest gifts from God. Never take it for granted.
Contact Pam Rodgers at
prodgers@newtondailynews.com