Reason, Season, or Lifetime

I thought a lot about this poem last night as I said goodbye to someone who has become a really close friend.   It made me think of all the friends I have had in my life.  Most have come and gone, but a few are achieving lifetime status. 

I have mourned those friends who have left me, whatever the reason but this is the first time that I have been the friend who walks away.  And yet, I still mourned.  Despite knowing that it was the right decision. 

I am grateful for my lifetime friends.  You know who you are.  You are the ones I can call for anything, anytime.  You are the ones that I can not talk to for months, but once we pick up the phone or see each other we pick up exactly where we left off and it feels right.  You are the ones who love me in spite of my faults.  You are the ones who have seen me cry.  You are the ones who have seen me when I have behaved horribly and loved me anyway.  Thank you for that. 

Reason, Season, or Lifetime

People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime.
When you figure out which one it is,
you will know what to do for each person.

When someone is in your life for a REASON,
it is usually to meet a need you have expressed.
They have come to assist you through a difficulty;
to provide you with guidance and support;
to aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually.
They may seem like a godsend, and they are.
They are there for the reason you need them to be.

Then, without any wrongdoing on your part or at an inconvenient time,
this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end.
Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away.
Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand.
What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled; their work is done.
The prayer you sent up has been answered and now it is time to move on.

Some people come into your life for a SEASON,
because your turn has come to share, grow or learn.
They bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh.
They may teach you something you have never done.
They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy.
Believe it. It is real. But only for a season.

LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons;
things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation.
Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person,
and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life.
It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant.

— Unknown