Second Chances

Relationships are strange- being the social creatures that we are, a significant part of our lives rely on relationships with others. It seems as though most of our day consists of interpersonal interactions with others, on one level or another. Relationships are dynamic: always changing in some degree, either growing closer together, or falling apart (which is what that last poem I wrote was talking about, using the metaphor of the seasons).

I've been thinking about this particular issue because of one relationship with a friend that I have known for most of my life. We grew up going to school together, and became inseparable in grade six. Now, I would not say that this was the wisest choice I've made of people to let into my life, but I was young, and she was cool, and we did have a lot of fun together (a little too much fun, as some teenagers tend to have these days). But, as often happens in relationships, we had a falling out in around grade 10. I went on a missions trip that summer to Tijuana, Mexico, and although I didn't notice too much, I guess that trip really changed me. I no longer desired to go out and do the things my friends and I were previously involved in. As a result, I was no longer a part of the group that my friend and I hung out with (partly by my choice, and partly because I became an outcast).

So, for the rest of high school my friend and I were pretty casual in our acquaintance. Then we graduated, and I never heard from her again. Until now. This summer, out of the blue, she called me up to see if I wanted to go out with her and a few other old friends from high school. It was really fun to see all of them again, and catch up on where our lives have taken us. I was surprised to learn that she had a baby, and was getting married this fall. She lived in Stoney Plain, just outside of Edmonton, and told me that if I moved to the city, to definitely give her a call. Well, I'm here, and she tracked me down...we've gone out to lunch this past week, and I'm headed to her place tomorrow for a girl's night.

I'm not sure how I feel about that. Its kind of strange, actually. Not that I don't like her or don't want to hang out, but its bizarre that after being so close, and then all those years of not talking at all, we've all of the sudden been connected again. One of my past regrets was that I never was a good example of Christ to her while we were friends: I let her drag me down. Now God has allowed us to reconnect, and I'm hoping that this can be a positive experience. It's something that I never would have thought to come about, this reunion with my friend, but for some reason that I'm sure is part of God's plan for my life (and hers), I have a second chance. I only hope I don't blow it...