Time.

I just want to share something that’s been bothering me lately, something I feel I’ve realized just recently. Something that is so important, but that so many people take for granted. This would be the concept of time, or rather, spending time with those we love and are closest to. This is something we don’t do enough of.

I realized this concept majorly this past weekend at my friend’s wedding. Although I always made it a point to see Alina and catch up with her every time I was home from school, I realized it wasn’t enough. As memories of classes, fun times and laughter we had together in high school came flying back and hit me in the face, I realized I never spent as much time with her as I had hoped before she got married. Then suddenly, reality struck as I remembered she is soon leaving to move out to California with her new husband. Though I am super excited for her, for practically the whole wedding however, I couldn’t help but regret not spending more time with her. And now who knows when I will see her again…

Through pondering this basically the whole rest of the day with another close friend, something hit me again. I suddenly remembered that California is not the farthest place in the world my friends can move to before or after they’re married…

And then I just got really sad. It was almost like I wanted to quick gather up all my close friends at that very moment and travel to Never Land together so we wouldn’t grow up anymore. So life could stay the way it is at this very moment. Now, that is a very ridiculous thing of course, but it was an idea.

Thinking more realistically, I decided I need to cherish the time God has given me now to enjoy these blessed friendships. I need to be sure I am making the time to see my friends now and build more memories before it is too late. Now, I’m not saying that once they all get married that’s the end of it and we’ll never see each other again, cause that would totally stink! I’m just saying that it will be much harder to find the time and it definitely won’t be the same. I have also come to remember the words from a book I once read that say: “Time is our most precious gift because you only have a set time of it…when you give someone your time, you are giving them a portion of your life that you’ll never get back. Your time is your life, that’s why the greatest gift you can give someone is your time.”

And how true that is! Not only have I come to realize this from Alina’s wedding, but from my own cousin’s wedding. Again, wishing I would have been able to spend more time with her because even though she still lives 15 minutes away, I see the changes already and I hate it. And not just speaking in wedding terms, but with life in general. It’s still so easy to let time get away from us…something my friend in Georgia recently realized. A few months ago, his life almost ended and through God’s grace, he now realizes how important it is to spend time with his friends, even if they are states away. Just the other night he kept apologizing for not keeping in touch as much as we had hoped and kept promising to stay in touch more because life is so short, and unpredictable.

Okay, enough rambling. My main point of all of this? Basically, I made a promise to myself that I have to spend more time with others before it’s too late and life flies right by. We never know when our life will end, or when one of us will be engaged…haha….and I don’t want to sit back again and ponder at a funeral or wedding celebration and regret not spending enough time with my friend when I had the opportunity to.

More specifically, a few messages to some friends:

Inna, Victor, Taras: we must make it a point every time I am home to see each other and do something fun! No excuses!!

Keith & Anna Lynn: let’s try our best not to be too bogged down with homework in the library this year and go out and do something fun one weekend! (or more than one!!)

And yes, Zach, you too, we all have to be sure to keep hanging out together (even if you guys are no longer brothers) and play wally ball or something!!

Life is too short and time is too precious to not spend enough of it with those good friends. And as a close friend once told me, “friends are a gift from God, and are supposed to be cherished.” Now, I don’t know about you guys, but I need to start cherishing more the blessings God’s poured out on me by spending more time with my friends!! :)

"He has made everything beautiful in its time..." ~Ecclesiastes 3:11