Friends come and friends go

I remember how hard it was for me to make friends growing up. Being the short, shy boy in school with self-esteem problems didn't help a whole lot. As I got older I had a handful of people I considered friends but as the years went by I realized that they just weren't as faithful to me as I want.

That all changed in 1996.

Once I made the decision to get baptized I found a lot of people who were loyal, faithful and truly loving.

However, as the years have gone by, more and more of these friends have turned the page in life and started down different paths (i.e. marriage, school, ministry, etc.) and the number of people I am close to has dwindled. First, the gang that left to plant the church in Las Cruces (love ya guys!), then Kateri leaves for San Diego. Next is Terese going to San Diego and on and on.

Well, last year Kateri came home and finally I thought my luck was changing. Maybe now my friends will start coming home. In fact, Bonnie started talking a little bit about coming home too. Suddenly, all was good in my life again at least until a couple of weeks ago.

That's when Melissa said she was moving to Chicago. That's when Michelle said she was moving to Los Angeles.

Once again I am sad.

I'm getting older and I feel like life is passing me by. I have dreams that aren't getting fulfilled as quickly as I'd like (note I said as quickly as I'd like) and that is starting to bother me. I'm facing a major milestone in life this year and I was hoping to at least take some comfort from those I'm closest to. Now, that list is a little bit shorter.

Melissa and Michelle, you will be missed. I hope that someday you will return home.