It's been a while. Nearly three months.
The saddest part about that is that I have been meaning to write this post since the end of July. Yikes.
Normally posts that I procrastinate writing never get written. Like that one time I went back to Ukraine after the revolution and couldn't shake what I saw but couldn't put it into words. Or that one time I reached my limit with tours in Israel and realized that it's okay for me to pass up opportunities in order to embrace the rest and stillness that my soul craves. (I still have a note reminding myself I didn't write those. Maybe some day...)
But this post is one that has continued writing itself since July. This idea of timely relationships has been further expounded on since I first meant to write this post.
So here we are.
I'm trying to embrace relationships. I'm trying to appreciate community -- to dive into community even while knowing that things change and people move.
I spent nine months really struggling with embracing relationships. When I moved throughout Eastern Europe and only spent a month tops in each city, I had a hard time committing to friends. Goodbyes kept me from much of the good stuff that could have followed "hello" or "привет."
Then I finally started to learn how to say "goodbye" without regrets. I slowly learned to embrace the people around me even though I wasn't sure when I would see them again.
One person I said goodbye to during that season in Eastern Europe is a wonderful American woman living with her family in beautiful Macedonia. In July, I went to Texas with a friend and her sister for the weekend to see another friend marry a lovely individual. I opened up a Facebook message to see that the wonderful American woman living in Macedonia was also in the Dallas Fort Worth area that weekend, and we could maybe meet up.
My friend who was with me was also excited about possibly seeing this great woman who has influenced us well. I turned to her sister and tried to explain why we wanted to do whatever it took to meet up with Jennifer.
"She was just the sweetest when we were in Macedonia. She's kind, full of wisdom, and so very loving. And she always pops up in my life at just the right moment. Like when I came home from Eastern Europe and had my first 'what am I doing with my life, everything is wrong' late night mini-crisis, Jennifer sent me a random Facebook message asking how I was doing. She has great timing. Being in her presence is just wonderful. You'll love meeting her."
As we drove from the wedding reception back into the city, I couldn't stop thinking about how timely her presence has been in my life.
We all sat at an IHOP in Arlington, Texas sipping decaf coffee by the pot late into the night chatting about that year we all lived in the same region of the world and the things that have happened since.
We reminisced about all the times that Jennifer would randomly think about me or pray for me and I would message her. Or the times when I would have an awful day, and she would message me and gift me with her understanding nature. Or that one time she found me at Starbucks in Thessaloniki shortly after our first indefinite goodbye.
When the four of us couldn't stay awake any longer and acknowledged that the next day would be full for all and we needed sleep, goodbye was easier. When friendships are timely, it's easier to believe that goodbye is not forever. If reunions can happen in an IHOP in Texas, they can happen anywhere.
We snapped a photo to prove that it happened not knowing when it would happen again. Ruth and I drove back to the hotel with her sleepy sister talking about how blessed we both are by that sweet woman and the interest she has taken in our lives.
Since then, I've been trying to recognize how other relationships are as timely in more subtle ways.
Like the perfect roommates for the seasons of life.
Like friends who have also struggled with adjusting to life away from home and friends who have had to learn how to readjust to home again.
Like the right people to invest in high school students with.
Like the right co-workers to make coffee-filled, stress-filled days a little better.
Because as I've started taking the time to look, I'm learning that these timely relationships are everywhere.
Last week, a wonderfully wise woman told me, "When we're hurt in relationship, we are healed in relationship."
Now is a time of working through some past hurts, and as I continue to work through those, I'm thankful to now see how many healing relationships I have been given.
Thank you, friends, here and there and everywhere for having a timely impact in my life.
Until we meet again,
Kayla
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