One of the things that stands out the most for me this semester is the great friendships I have been able to build. I have met lots of wonderful people, I knew I would, but what's really important is that they are genuine friendships that I know will last much longer than this semester. I honestly don't know what I would have done without some of the dear souls who have loved me, cared for me, and challenged me this semester. I am finding more and more just how vital good relationships are in life. It really isn't about where you are or what you are doing as much as it is about who you are with. Our relationships with other people define our lives, We were created as relational beings, we were designed to need each other. And for that I am so grateful. I have had a great experience here and I know it is because of these relationships. I have felt truly at home here, never had a moment where I felt like I was in a foreign place. Culturally yes there were differences, but overall I feel at peace here, I feel at home. Which is pretty big for me. While I certainly miss my family and friends from home I also feel like I could do this forever, I haven't had any homesickness or wishing I could go back at any point. The hardest part in going back to the States will be saying goodbye to the friends I have made here. I find reassurance in knowing I will see them again, even if not in this life. As a friend keeps telling me, this isn't goodbye, it's I'll see you later.
But if the while I think on thee, dear friend,
All losses are restored and sorrows end.
~William Shakespeare
Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art.... It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that give value to survival. ~C.S. Lewis
C.S. Lewis says that friendship is unnecessary, and yes that is true. We don't need friends, or other humans, to survive. God gives us life and health and breath. But friends add something more to life. Our relationships with other people give meaning and context to our lives. What joy that the Lord chooses to bless us with friends, for while we do not need them we would certainly be lost without them.
Sometimes I have a hard time understanding why God would give me such wonderful friends only to have them taken away right as we are beginning to know each other. I am sad at leaving these friends so quickly but I also recognize that these few short months have been better than years of friendships with others. I am truly grateful and am so blessed to have had the opportunity to know these friends and I wouldn't trade that for anything.
Proverbs 12:26
The righteous choose their friends carefully, but the way of the wicked leads them astray.
Proverbs 17:17
A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.
Proverbs 27:9
Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart, and the pleasantness of a friend springs from their heartfelt advice.
