Seasons come, seasons go.. Admittedly, it also applies to people. Friends do come and go. Nothing bad in that. It’s simply the way life rolls. Depending on the season you are in, you come across people from all walks of life joining you in a particular part of the journey.
In my old blog site I wrote about several ‘best friends’ that I had and my reason for having so many. At age 15, I had a deep attachment on my very first best friend that when their family migrated to US, I couldn’t get over the fact that I lost my one and only BFF.
It took me some time before I dispersed the affection that used to go to only one. Wanting to always have a “BFF”, I made it a point to have one in every season of life.
Long after my teenage best friend left, I’ve made a highschool best friend, a college bestie, a gym instructor turned partner in crime, a male best bud, a Bible school buddy, an adopted sister, confidante, travel buddy and roomie.
You may ask, what about now? Are they less important and demoted in the friendship rank? We were really the ‘bestest’ of friends in the season we were in. But due to many other factors we don’t have much control over (like distance, time, varying sets of priorities, etc.), we haven’t caught up as much as we used to. The fellowship may have been lost, but not the unique connection.
Individuals develop relationship as they spend time with each other and unfortunately, we do not have the same liberty that once was on our side.
Nevertheless, I am more than blessed to still be in touch with one particular best friend who’s still playing an important role in the changing scenes of my life.
And that’s my bes Myla. We met at age 16 when I was handpicked to play for their team which, at that time, was Quezon City’s leading team in volleyball. We journeyed together in the name of our love for the sport that led us to city championships, nationwide games, and eventually through college scholarship.
NCR women’s volleyball team for Palarong Pambansa 1997
Republika volleyball team in Singapore
If there’s one person who has seen me at my best and worst, that’s got to be her. It’s been almost two decades now and we’re still connected in spirit. The special bond remains regardless of our current situation or condition.
And maybe God put us together to work in the same country to keep that connection strong. It would have been more difficult if we were distant from each other. But actually, there were periods when I was in the US for several months and in Singapore for years before she came. It still didn’t feel that disengaged, thankfully by God’s grace.
Our first triathlon race together in Singapore
Recently out of the blue I messaged her:
True friends don’t need to have it all together to enjoy being together.
True friends don’t need to tidy up their lives before they can share them. They don’t need to figure out all the answers before they can voice meaningful questions. True friends don’t need guises; they just need grace.
We’ve witnessed our imperfections but remain loving and accepting of each other. We don’t always agree on things but we’ve learned to respect each other’s views and frame of mind. On touchy issues, our approach has always been around this tone, “You see it that way, here is how I view it. Could it be that this and that… You might be missing out other dimensions here and may not be fully aware of the consequences. Nevertheless, it’s your life. You make that choice and I am here for you.”
We’ve recently caught up one Sunday afternoon and as usual, we talked about anything and everything under the sun. This time around, our conversations were deeper than usual as we discussed mind-tickling, thought-provoking topics, not just laughing over our sillyness. They are equally enriching!
The best thing about our friendship is that we both love God and are continually seeking to please Him in everything we do. We can lift each other up in prayer and allow His word to guide us in our path. What great treasure to have a sister in Christ and best friend in one!
