Old Times, Old Friends

Right before New Year's Eve, I chatted with a dear friend.It was one of those conversations that when I hung up the phone I knew I had left so much unsaid. I wanted her to know how much I loved her. That she has been one of the biggest blessings in my life, but yet, I couldn't find words that didn't sound trite.

Although I write for vocation and ministry, I was at a loss to convey the deepest feelings of my heart. I wanted to talk about the heartache in our lives. I held back afraid that I was misunderstanding or reading something between the lines of our conversation that was not there. I was afraid to ask. I was frightened for myself and what the future held for both of us.

Oddly that same night Mark and I went to dinner with some new neighbors. We talked and shared information about each others lives. We ended up visiting for almost four hours without running out of things to say. We didn't share deep things. We didn't speak of our lives heartaches, but spoke lightly of our past and current goals for 2009.

What was the difference between these two conversations? The first is a deep relationship that weaves through many areas of my life. It's too important to me to misspeak. it is a forever friendship filled with many of life's unknowns. The second new friendship was just that--new. It was surface and not important to me if I said or did something that they might consider ignorant or silly. It was a beginning friendship, important yes, but not a my heart's core.

As we start 2009, hug your friends. And consider this quote by C.S. Lewis,"
Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art ... It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that give value to survival."

One last thing, here is a great trivia topic. It comes from a excerpt from my Bible study, Perplexing Proverbs. When give your friends that big bear hug them, ask them about meaning of the New Year's song. "Auld Lang Syne"

"Auld Lang Syne" is an ancient Scottish song. It was sung for hundreds of years before the lyrics were actually written down in the 1700s. A close translation of the words “auld lang syne” is “times gone by.” So on New Year’s Eve we sing to friends and friends of the past.

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And auld lang syne?
For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne,
we’ll take a cup of kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.