Tuesday, February 02, 2010

scattered

I have a tendency toward making friends who are travelers. Perhaps there is an adventurous spirit that we share, and it's part of what makes us friends? Some good friends from college have moved far from the midwest, to Northern Virgina and Australia. And now, the friends we've made as a married couple are also moving on.

A few years ago, we felt called to start a new small group (Bible Study) at our church, and the small group leader somehow matched us up with three couples who were perfectly fit to us. We started a group, and became very good friends. One couple had a baby just after we started meeting, and two of us went through pregnancy at the same time. It was only about a year after we started meeting that talk of moving started springing up.

From Small Group Crawfish Feed

T&S had only lived in this one city their whole lives, they both wanted to experience life somewhere else - could I blame them? I lived in California for two years and loved it. Plus, they were quickly on the road to becoming the one couple without kids. Right around the time Baby Blue Eyes was born, they took off to Kansas City. We've made it down to visit once, and will hopefully see them again this weekend. And I really hope to keep seeing them, because they'll soon be entering the world of parenthood and I hope to meet that baby!

Just a few months later, A&S began really pursuing the idea of moving towards the twin cities, where they would be closer to family and could possibly find jobs the enjoyed more. Again, could I blame them? I love being close to my family, and would make the same move. We miss them and their girls though, their oldest daughter is over a year older than than our little man and she loved this baby. It was fun seeing him getting old enough to start to play with her.

J&J, however, were the ones we thought would move first. We always knew they'd go, they're from Kentucky and Oklahoma and have been basically looking to get closer to her family from the day we met them. God kept them here longer though, long enough for us to go through pregnancy and raise our babies into toddlers together. Long enough for him to find a job not just suitable driving distance from her family, but easy driving distance!

I've been looking through my photos and I really think the above photo is the only one I have of that original group. Makes me sad that I didn't think to take a picture before everyone started leaving, that I didn't realize that I'd want to look back at the original group and remember.

As we've grown, we've gained new members and made new friends. One couple who had a baby at the same time as us, and plans to stay here. A single gal with a daughter who shared her life here with us before moving down to Missouri last month. They are in the photo below with the original group. And more recently, two more couples - one with three kids and one with no kids.

From Small Group Crawfish Night 2008

But now, with the leaving of J&J, our group and circle of friends has made a complete switch. We had small group tonight, as this group that we are now - minus three since the last time we met. It was really good. We really like this group and these new friends.

But it makes me reflect on life, how quickly it changes, how God puts people in our lives at certain times for certain purposes. I love having shared life with these people. Through the wonder of Facebook, I know we'll stay somewhat in touch, and have places to go visit if we want. I don't know if we'll stay close, or if we'll send Christmas cards and have to remind our kids of who those people are when we get the card every Christmas. But I do know how glad I am that they were here for the time they were, that we got to know them and share life with them for a while. And I know how happy I am that they've all found places to go, followed their hearts and made a life in a place they'll be happy.

J&J with us.....From Fun with Friends

The kids....From Fun with Friends

The kids and moms. From Fun with Friends

by yellowgirl at 9:43 PM |