I moved home because I still am without a job (or a clue of direction for a job) and my lease ran out and so my mom and I began cleaning out my closet so I can utilize it rather than taking up half of the living room with suitcases filled with all of my clothes. As I was going through my drawers and shelves loaded down with letters and books and old cassette tapes (quite successfully I might add) I came across a small manila envelope from the mission trip I went on in 2000 (before my freshman year of high school).

Part of the trip was to write little notes to people on your crew (we were fixing houses in downtown Savanna, GA that year…I was on a roofing crew) and anyone else you might have met or know (including your group you came with aka. my youth group). Reading through the letters from these people made me realize why I loved that trip so much. They thanked me for my smiles, for good work, for my knowledge of the word and input during devotions. I had letters from people I used to be close to that called me their best friends despite being 5 years my senior and thanking me for loving them just as they were…

One of the things I regret is growing apart from so many people. I saw it as “their loss” and moved on. sure, I have my friends that I love and I am close to, but there is something special that is shared when time is spent to build those relationships, to allow God to mold them and knit them tightly together. It’s not a matter of being “best buds” talking for hours every day…it’s a matter of taking the time and maintaining relationships simply because they are worth it.