We are blessed enough to have some forever friends. These friends have been in our lives since our children were 1 and 3, respectively (and their girls were those ages, too). The dad and bonus mom live locally, and the children live in Santa Fe with their mom--except during two amazing times: Christmas/NewYear and & a few weeks during the summer (including the 4th of July). The winter and summer holidays are especially magical for my dtr, because her closeness with "the girls" borders on obsessive, and is a sisterhood of the heart at a minimum. The rest of us, during our traditional New Year's Eve and July 4th sleepovers, love and enjoy each other and play games and tease and feast together, but for J and "the girls" the time is too loud, too giggly, and far too short. As I write this, Big is on the way to the ferry with J, dropping our friends off--and bidding farewell to "the girls" until late December. With a lump in my throat as I waved good-bye, I mustered as much cheer in my voice as possible and said, "Remember guys, this is the shorter time...we'll be together before you know it!" Of course I wasn't convinced, so I know J wasn't, either.
She'll cry for the greater part of the afternoon. Of that, I am sure. I'll be stroking hair, cooing, and cuddling.
But...it's all good.
The pain of missing someone means that we have loved them well. And those 3 love each other well.
And I have some friends for whom I hold those same gut-wrenching feelings when we part. And, perhaps more hard to believe, I have some friends whom I've met ONLY in the blogosphere, but we've shared our hearts on the phone, via email, and really...they're such heart friends that I miss them, too when we don't have a chance to connnect.
Again, I say...it's alllll goood. Tears and yearning, melancholy and quiet. Good friends and loved ones are worth these feelings. And once again, thru my earthly relationships, I'm reminded of a Father who loves me well, who seeks me always, and who will yearn for me and prepare a place for me when it's my turn for the best MIRL of my life.
