Left Behind

Tomorrow I will be saying goodbye to a great friend. She is moving to Delaware! I still haven't realized how sad this is going to make me, but I am starting to.

I always thought this only happened in books, but Susan and I met in our child birthing class at the hospital! We hadn't really talked much, but ran into each other after our daughters were born. We got to talking and found out that her daughter (Eden) and Kaelyn were born on the same day. We met for lunch, and our friendship escalated from there.

Since our friendship began, we have been getting together about once a week to hang out and let our daughters play together. But, tomorrow is going to be the last time. I can't imagine what I am going to do without Susan being around!

I love watching our daughters play and interact with each other. Susan and I had often talked about how excited we were to have our girls grow up together, and how fun that they would share a birthday. And, I am even sad for Kaelyn that she is losing her little play buddy, even though she has no clue what is going to happen tomorrow. And I keep picturing us seeing Susan, Jeremy, and Eden like a year from now, and Eden will be so much more grown up, and have no clue who Kaelyn is. Sad!

So, through all of this, I have realized that it is much easier to leave than to be left. (Not saying the leaving is easy either, but I think it is easier!) When you leave, you have something new and exciting to look forward to, and while you grieve the friends that you are leaving, you know there is a whole new world for you to discover when you get to where you are going. (And how many friends have we vowed to keep in contact with, and a month later we have totally forgotten about them?) When you are the one left, you now need to figure out how to fill the void of the person that was there, while you continue in life as normal. Make sense?
So often I have been the leaver. And there are some friends that I still deeply miss; however, there are friends that I have made in my new location. And now I am finally realizing what it is like to be left. I admitted to Susan on Monday, that in the back of my mind I am expecting her to say, "We've changed our mind... We're staying." But I know the reality of that isn't going to happen!

Don't get me wrong... I am so excited for this new chapter of life for Susan, Jeremy, and Eden. And I know that God will bless them richly in their new journey. But, I can't help being a little selfish and wishing that my friend could have stayed in California!