Heard from an old friend, yesterday...

I heard from my dear friend, emerson. Funny how your life goes on, but with old friends--no matter how much time has elapsed--you can catch each other up in a matter of hours. What are we to make of these relationships? As we talked, I wondered how I could have forgotten how well she knew me and how well I knew her. Nothing about her had changed. Sure the circumstances of her life had changed after however long we had been apart, but the essence of her being--the part of her that had connected with a part of me--had not changed. It was both scary and comforting. Comforting for the obvious reason: our friendship has been strengthened by our time apart. While I hope a similar absence never again occurs, I am relieved that our friendship is as easy as it has always been. I am scared by my own possible stagnation. Am I in the same place as where we were the last time we talked? God, I hope not. I want to be a happier, more confident and content person. I wish to be closer to my dreams, if not by days, weeks, and months, then by degrees. I desire to be more loving, more deserving, more honorable, more generous. I hope that I am kinder, more patient, more patient, and more patient. I wonder if she can see that I am a better sister, a better daughter, a better student, and, most importantly, a better friend. I am all of these things as a result of knowing her--a golden thread running through my life--often seen though sometimes hidden. Our friendship is as beautiful as the two young women pictured above. It is enduring. From this friendship between her and me, I am boldly enriched, deeply appreciative, and forever blessed. I thank you, my friend, with unabashed love, grateful recognition, and peaceful abundance.

Friendship is truly an ever-changing, revolutionary discourse.