Life has a way of finding its center in the mundane. Grocery shopping. Doing Laundry. The morning commute. Church on Sundays. Mowing the lawn.
We busy ourselves with doing “things.” These things likely become repetitive and, in the repetition, they, quite naturally, lose any sense of significance. We get bored with work. We get tired of having the same arguments with our children. Conversations with long-distance family members are reduced to discussions of health and the weather.
It is only when the mundane is pressed upon by outside forces that we gain fresh perspective upon how good we have it. These outside forces can be a positive or a negative change in your circumstances: an unexpected illness, loss of a job, job relocation, an untimely death, heartbreak, the birth of a child. These are the kinds of events that threaten to recast the ordinary, jumbling previously settled pieces of ourselves into new patterns.
It is when the pieces become unsettled that we can examine them each afresh, and, having done so, can once again appreciate the good and the bad for what they are. In those moments we cling to life, celebrate a little more boisterously, cry in that deep way that shakes your whole body, and reestablish the important connections in your life–the ones that you have taken for granted while lost in the mundane.
This post is dedicated to one very important piece of our life that my family has taken for granted: meaningful friendships.
Recently, my family and I have been fortunate enough to experience several jarring changes, directly and indirectly. I do not hesitate to consider us fortunate in referring to the good and the bad bearing down on us and our friends. No one wishes to experience the hardships of life–and I would gladly take those difficult things upon myself instead of seeing them visited upon my friends and loved ones–but it has certainly been true that life becomes more precious when faced with them. We have watched our friends rally around one another and lift one another up. It is a testimony to their character, a character that is worth celebrating, so hear it goes…
Dear Friends,
- We are honored by the ease with which our lives intersect, regardless of the circumstances.
- We have benefited greatly from your generosity.
- We cherish your willingness to open your hearts to us.
- We celebrate life more abundantly when we celebrate it with you.
- We look forward to new life and newness of life with you.
- We thank you for being available at any time of day or night to talk us off a ledge.
- We glory in the ways that you have expanded our pallets. I have come to love new music and new foods because of you. (God, I love food!!!)
- We respect that we can argue deep, unsolvable matters and walk away laughing and in good spirits.
- We love that you love our kids.
- We have great stories to tell for decades to come because of you.
- We hope you have benefited in some small way from your friendship with us…if not, then we owe you, big time.
In this rare moment of clarity that great change brings allow me to simply say that we love you. Today, we cling a little tighter to the truth that you make our lives more fulfilling.
“Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art…
It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that
give value to survival.”
– C. S. Lewis –
WarpedGenius 