Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Lonesome.....

Yesterday it finally hit me.....and hit me HARD.  In bible study we were talking about friendships....everyone was sharing how special it is to have those friends that you share everything with and you act yourself around.  You know the ones I'm talking about.  The friends that know you better than anyone, almost as well as your spouse.  They are kindred spirits, bosom buddies as Anne of Green Gables would say, they see your feelings without words.  They love you unconditionally, with all your faults, they pray for you, they are truthful even when it hurts, they make you laugh until your stomach hurts, and they cry with you when you are hurting.  It's not easy to find kindred spirits like this, it takes much work, vulnerability, and patience.

I have been blessed with wonderful friendships in my adulthood, not so much in my younger years, but definitely in the past 12 years.  I have been given friendships that come and go, and now I am facing friends that literally go and move.  This is a first for me.  I mean, yes people I know have moved away, but this is the first one that HURTS!!  In December a dear friend and her family announced they are moving to Ecuador to be missionaries and about a month ago my closest and best friend found they had to move to Indiana.  Really????  Two of my closest friends in 4 months!!!??  Are you kidding me?

Let me give you a little background to why this is such a big deal.  Fifteen years ago I was a working, newly married woman and only 22 years old.  My friends were literally girlfriends of my husbands friends and a couple coworkers.  These were only "party friends" we didn't get very close or share a lot of secrets.  These were not friends that I would call or go to with a problem.  Then my husband and I joined a new church, they searched out a pastor and he moved his family here to my town.  I fell in love with this family right away.  They had 1 child and she was adorable!!  Not long after getting to know this family did we find out we were expecting our first blessed child and our pastor's wife was expecting her 2nd child!!!  We shared our pregnancies together and gave birth to our babes only 1 week apart!!  I was so blessed to share this with her and I was so grateful that the Lord had provided me a confidante to help me in the new stage of my life/motherhood.  As you can guess our babies have grown to be best friends and are now 13 years old!  I have endured so much with this family....births of children, miscarriage, death, divorce, remarriage, and salvation of family and friends.  As you can see, this family is very near and dear to me.  Now after 15 years of knowing them, they are moving on to a new adventure.  God is calling them to be missionaries!  How wonderful is that???!!!  However, after finding out they were moving I didn't let myself accept that they were leaving.  They left the church in December, but aren't moving until May.  I just knew I was going to spend every waking minute I could taking in her wisdom, sharing dinners, sharing our kids and just enjoying each others company as long as I could.  Well, don't you know, life goes on and I haven't spent hardly anytime with their family.  They are busy with packing, school, activities for their children, getting their house ready to sell, and a list of other things.....as well as our own family busyness.  So we haven't spent as much time together as I would have liked.  So....here I sit today, SAD......Lonesome, missing my friend and her family.

Now, that's just one family.  There's another wonderful family that I have opened my heart to in the past 2 years.  They moved here 2 years ago and I met them at church.  It was at a time in my life when I didn't like to step out of my comfort zone.....I didn't like greeting people I didn't know, but someone had asked me to reach out to this family since they were new and they home schooled.  I finally got up the nerve to say hello and I am so glad that I did!  God was putting an opportunity in my lap and I almost passed it up!!  I can't even explain to you the connection I felt right away to this family.  It was INSTANT!  Love at first site!  LOL  At the time we met them I had no idea that they would change my life forever!!!!!!  She has helped me be a better mom and teacher to my kids, she has sparked my love for sewing again, she has inspired me to be healthier, she inspires me to be better organized, she sparked my love for blogging and she helped me grow spiritually!!!  God really put her family in my life right when I needed them the most.  There are other reasons they are so special, but not enough words or space to blog about it.  About a month ago her husband was laid off and had to find work.......well, God is taking them to Indiana!!!  Just when I was enjoying them the most and really loving having them around, they have to move.  I know they have been here only 2 years, but I feel as though I have known them forever.

See......these 2 families have touched my life so much that I don't think I can go on without them.  I'm struggling to stay afloat.  I feel like I'm drowning in my own tears of saddness.  After battling 9 years of depression and finally conquerring it 3 months ago, I'm scared!!  I don't want to slip into the pit of darkness that I lived in for so long.  These 2 women gave me hope, love, light, and showed me that there is life to be enjoyed....it's mine for the taking!  Will I be able to brush this feeling off and move forward?  Will I find another friend or confidante?  I know that God has provided these families to begin with and He will provide again.....BUT, will my heart be willing to open back up to another journey??  It's not easy to find friends like I have with me now.  I guess for now I have to be patient and wait, but man, am I lonesome.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

you did not want to open up to this journey that God gave you 2 yrs ago but aren't you glad you did sis! I sure am. You have to jump on board and enjoy the ride on the train of life and let God be the conductor. Then you cannot go wrong. The train can only detour paths when we try to interfere with the conductor so let Him drive and you sit back and enjoy the ride! It is hard sometimes because our stupid impatient self gets in the way and we think we know more but not true. Enjoy the ride!

Jennifer Shand said...

We were only vessels that the Lord used to bring happiness and hope to your world. Just remember God gave you all those things. He hears you and will never leave you!
And not only your life will forever be changed by this friendship - mine too! Love you.

The FitzGerald Family said...

Blessed Mommy,

I have been exactly where you are. There were a couple ladies at our church that I was starting to get to know, each at different times. I fell in love with their excellent example of motherhood, being godly wives, etc. I made a conscious decision to spend more time with them as I had much to learn. Both times they were almost immediately moved to another state. Yes, I tended toward feeling depressed about this. Didn't God know that I needed them?

I can easily fall prey to the feelings of abandonment; something left over from my childhood I guess. The key is to recognize it, give it to the Lord, and pray that He fills the need left by the friends leaving.

By reading your post, I saw a pattern. With both of these families, you were hesitant to reach out to an unknown person and befriend them. However, both times you were abundantly blessed because you had done so. There are plenty of people in God's Kingdom who can be incredible blessings to you, and who need your blessing in their lives. You and I both need to learn how to step out of our comfort zones and connect with someone new. Sometimes there will be a budding relationship as a result; sometimes you only extended a hand of comfort to someone with their own pain and sorrow. God will bless it all, if we will but be His hands and feet to others.

Love your blog and being able to enjoy your family through your eyes. Thanks for your honesty and for sharing.

Liz in CA