To the Drifting Friendships

When we're young, nobody tells us the truth about friendships.

They don't tell us that people will move away.

They don't tell us that we might take different paths in life.

They certainly don't tell us that one of us might pass away unexpectedly.

There's a lot of pain and distrust tied up in the word "friendship."

This post is for those relationships lost, for those drifting away. For the people who you used to talk with every day, but can't remember the last time you heard their voice.

"The Way it Was" by T.E.

"This is a song I wrote after a close friend of mine, someone I talked to nearly every day, suddenly stopped talking to me. When I realized I was losing him, it was like losing a part of myself. After a couple days of moping around, I sat down and decided to write this song and tell him how I felt, even though he probably hasn't heard it and he has no idea it's about him. 

That's what writing is to me, though. It's my way of speaking to people when I'm too scared to tell them how I truly feel, and it's my way of coping with emotions I don't understand. 

 Thanks so much for listening."

Lyrics can be found here.

If this song resonates with you, share it with your friends. 

Also, please be sure to hop over to the YouTube page for this video and leave T.E. some feedback, as well as a quick thumbs up!

photo credit: Eastop - sxc.hu

The More the Merrier, Right?

It just started pouring and my first thought was, "How on earth is my rolling backpack going to survive the walk to school?"

My wife is amazing. She's beautiful. She's smart. And I learn from her every day.

Unfortunately, for the saps out there, this post isn't really about her. But I love bragging on her!

The other day she taught me a fact I didn't know. Apparently, on this new-fangled Facebook thing that I keep hearing about, people have, on average, 130 friends. 

In retrospect, I'm not sure what surprised me more. The actual number, or my ridiculous reaction:

"Is that all? Are you sure?"

First of all, my wife is always right. This is a scientifically proven fact. So I don't know why I ever ask, "Are you sure?" But even more surprising to me was my initial reaction. Is having 130 people to network with really not that many?

Goodness gracious we live in some weird times.

What sort of person needs more than 130 people to network with? In fact, when you divide yourself 130 ways, how much of you is really ever given to each of those people? How deep could those relationships truly be?

And then I think about my friends and me. I know very few people my age who have less than 500 "friends" on Facebook. Now, naturally, we know that this includes a few strays, so even if there's 50 people that we somehow managed to "approve" of, that still leaves 450 people to network with.

Who needs 450 friends?!

Not this guy.

Sadly, I'm not sure what to think of this. I finally "de-friended" a few people for the first time the other day. But then a few days later, I added a couple more to my list. And all along, I wonder how deep my friendships truly are. I wonder how committed I truly am to these people. I wonder, is it really possible for me to truly love these people? 

I'm not sure. The example I have set for me through Jesus' life is pretty clear. He had 12ish guys that he kept pretty tight with (which still sounds like a lot to me). And then there were about another 100 people that followed him around. And he had compassion for those people. He loved those people deeply. And he was God in the flesh. 

How on earth can I expect to one-up Jesus? Do I really think that I'm more masterful with relationships than he was? Do I truly believe that I'm capable of establishing meaningful, caring, and compassionate relationships with over 500 people?

Doubt it.

Moral of the story? We need to focus a little more in our relationships. We don't necessarily need to skip straight over to Facebook and purge our "friends" list, but we need to take inventory:

Who am I investing my time in?

Who am I showing love to on a regular basis?
 
Who am I allowing to love me? 

And in all of this, we need to remember: we can have 500 friendships that are an inch deep, but how much of an investment is an inch, really? Do I really care about someone if I'm only willing to give them an inch of who I am? Or do they deserve better? 

Question: What can you do today to deepen one (yes, just one) relationship in your life?

 

You've Got a Friend in Me

For some reason, we checked out like 10 library books, but we leave town on Sunday. We're a little odd.

I'm ecstatic.

(I don't get ecstatic very often.)

You see, I've got a follow-up post for you today from yesterday's post (you should read if you haven't already). And it's much happier - I swear.

You see, I posted yesterday about discovering that a few people really don't give a rip about me. Today, though, I'm turning that 180 and posting about a couple of people that I really care about and that I'd wager have taken a liking to me as well.

Why is this necessary, you ask? Well, for starters, I like it when people like me, and I like to tell others about those people, because they're rockin' awesome. Mainly, though, it was a goal of mine this year (as part of my 111 in 2011) to make a new friend.

And you know what? I one-upped myself - I made two friends!

Introducing... R2-D2

This year, I've been in about five hail storms. Before this year? Zero. Ridiculous!

Sound the alarms, people. This post is going to call for a major Nerd Alert.

If the title didn't give that away, then I might've underestimated your nerd innocence.

You see, I want to introduce you to a friend today. I realize I've done this before, but I've made a new friend since then! Much cooler than the Google Next Button. Also much cooler than Thing #1, Thing #2, or Thing #3.

This friend actually does me some good. I like having him around, frankly. He even stays by my side at night!

My new best friend is none other than R2-D2.

Introducing a Good Friend

The internet is being just as spastic this morning, but I've got coffee, so take that, spazzy interweb!

We all have a good friend or two that we're proud to know.

Take, for instance, American Idol. This show features everyday people who want to make it big in the music industry. This season features two sixteen year olds as finalists. That's right. At the ripe, young age of 16, they're a step away from their dreams. I'm betting that they have more than a few friends willing to claim them.

And though we can't all have friends who could win American Idol, we do have friends that we take pride in. Because of these friends, our lives are a little easier. Because of these friends, our lives are a little less hectic. Because of these friends, life is a little more enjoyable.

You know the kind of friend I'm talking about.

Well, today I want to introduce you to a good friend of mine. This friend definitely makes my life easier. I can't imagine not knowing this friend. In fact, I'd go as far as saying that this friend is a life saver. And best of all, you can know this friend, too!

No, this isn't a cheesy "I'm going to introduce you to Jesus" ploy, though it's tempting.

The friend I want to introduce you today is...

Jesus!

Ha! Just kidding. I mean, he's an epic friend to have, but unfortunately, not the topic of discussion today.

Now for real. The friend I want to introduce you to is...

The Google "Next" button!

Okay, yeah, a little lame. I know, I know.

You can hurl tomatoes at me later. For now, hear me out.