The People Who Were There For You

I think the older I get, the more and more I see the importance people play in my life. I’m still a firm believer that God sends you people for 3 main reasons: 1) For you to learn something from them; 2) For them to learn something from you; 3) For you and them to learn something from each other. And last night, the reasons became more relavant and apparent to me.

With both my best friends being busy lately, I’ve started to become closer with my friend Paul. After talking to him about how strange it was that most of my close friends were younger than me and more or less around his age, I thought about my friends who were around my age. I thought about the ones who’ve been there with me in the past, but had since parted ways.

I took a long look at my list of Facebook “friends.” Of course, Facebook gives you the illusion that you’re connected to someone you once talked to. I saw that J was online, so I messaged him. I asked what he had been up to lately. We updated each other on what the other had missed and our lives now. It was great to hear that J was doing okay.

I began to remember his kindness and all the things he had done for me in the past, when we were close friends. 

Me: I guess if it’s not too late, I just wanted to say that I appreciate you. So thanks.

J: Trust me, even in the past, I wasn’t there for you when I really needed to be and I’m so sorry.

Me: No man. I think you were there for me to the best of your ability. So thanks.

I don’t know how we lost contact and how we grew apart, but it was important for me to acknowledge him and what he did for me in the past. It was essentially a freeing moment for me. There are so many people in the past who have helped me become who I am today, and they should be acknowledged. I think about all the people who were there for me in the past and I recognized how blessed I was. And now, I take a look at all the people in my life at the moment, and I recognized how blessed I still am.