Leaves, Branches and Roots
Posted by Melinda | Filed under Uncategorized
People come and go in our lives. It’s just the way it is. But while some of them we are glad to see go…some of them we wonder where they went when they did and can’t seem to shake their memory.
A couple of years ago…I was fortunate to find one of my very best high school friends I lost touch with between moves from Alaska and Japan and back Stateside. I always wonderred where she was and how she was doing. When I found her, it was right around the corner - in Raleigh, NC. And within months of our reunion she moved to Oregon with her husband where they purchased a home and recently have had their first child. She was someone who’s friendship in junior and high school set the bar for what friendhsip would mean to me. It wasn’t just a high school thing - she was the kind of friend ADULTS have. I missed her…and while she is not close enough to see regularly…it just makes me happy to know that she is happy and God has blessed her with a wonderful life. THAT makes me happy.
I was fortunate enough to find an old friend earlier this year who was pretty special to me 14 years ago and we’ve recently been able to spend some time together. The military moved us and once again…I lost touch after a couple of months and between both of us moving…communications was lost.
It’s been nearly 6 months that we;ve gotten back in touch. Of all places - - - the internet was our reconnecting source. Telephone conversations catching up were as I remembered them. Uninhibitted, open, honest communication. Sharing where we’ve been, what we’ve been doing, where we’re going, etc.
Well…then to spend some face to face time with that person put everything into perspective. Just like old times we were laughing and joking about everything and nothing just like we’d been together all this time and nothing had changed. Of course there were a few deep moments of sharing some of our not so pleasant experiences in our absence in each other’s lives. That to me…just helped show how solid the whole friendship was that we could share these things that were not the “baggage” in our lives when we knew each other back then.
I KNOW that God often puts people, good and bad, in our lives for a reason. Sometimes he puts them in and then removes them just as quickly as they enterred only to be put back in when HE decides it to do so. (Yes…that does mean that some we will not see until we get to enter the Kingdom… but bear with me that I intend for this discussion to relate to relationships here on earth since that is a “whole-nubba-lebel” to discuss).
Sometimes people stay a constant presence in our lives and contribute to our day to day living. But sometimes he completely removes someone from our every day lives that we WANT in our lives and when the time is right he may bring them back in. (Unlike the people who we are glad to see go and hope to never cross paths with again).
Maybe he removes the people we WANT in our lives so that we can miss them while they are absent from our lives and appreciate them that much more when he decides to bring them back in. Or visa versa (so that THEY can appreciate US!)
That’s where I feel with this rekindled friendship. We’ve both admittedly missed each other in our lives and I think we both appreciate what we’ve missed a lot more. I hope God doesn’t intend to part our ways again and pray that it is not his will…in which case I will have no choice in the matter. But because this person is also Christian and much further in the Journey than I am…I am hopeful there is a purpose in our paths meeting at the crossroads again that God plans to sustain. Don’t jump to any conclusions here…just know that I’m saying I am happy that an old friend is back in the picture because they always had a knack for letting me be me and may be able to offer some spiritual guidance on top of emotional support.
I like Madea’s say on the matter of people in our lives. She breaks it down as people being parts of a tree. The leaves, the branches and the roots.
Some people come into your life for a lifetime and some come for a season. You have to know which is which. I put everybody that comes into my life in the category of a tree.
Some people are leaves on a tree. The wind blows, they go to the left. The wind blows from the other way, they go to the right. They are just unstable. You can’t count on them for nothing. All they ever do is take from that tree. What you need to understand about a leaf is that it has a season. It’ll wither and die and blow away.There ain’t no need to be praying over a leaf to be resurrected. When it’s dead it’s gone. Let it go! Some people are like that. All the leaf ever does is cool you off every now and then. If you’re grown, you know what I’m talking about, because you can call them in the middle of the night and get cooled off. That’s the leaf people. They come to take.
Then there are people like a branch. You got to be careful with branch people. They come in all different shapes and sizes. You never know how strong they will be in your life. So my advice is to tip out on it slowly. When you’re going out on a limb, don’t put too much weight on it at once, because it can fall and leave you high and dry. Sometimes, you have to wait for a branch to grow up before it can hold all of the things you want to share with it.
Finally, there are people who are like roots at the bottom of the tree. If you find yourself two or three people in your entire lifetime that are like the roots, then you are blessed. The roots don’t care nothing about being seen. All they’re there to do is hold that tree up, to make sure it stays in the air. It comes from the earth to give that tree everything it needs.
That’s what relationships should be about. That’s what you need, people who want to be in your life for the right reasons. If somebody wants to walk out of your life, you’ve got to LET THEM GO! When you learn to love yourself, you will end up giving standards to everyone around you. Again, I repeat with emphasis, if they don’t meet those standards, you have to let them go, because they might be a leaf. And forgive them with all your might.”
As for me- - - I thank God for the roots. But at the same time - - - I thank him for the leaves and the branches. (There have been more than enough leaves in my life…but no matter how temporary there’s always some lesson to be learned before they blow away). God puts them all into our lives for their own reasons. But while I’m thankful for the roots…I’m especially thankful for the branches that are destined to become the roots.
LOVE YA!!...