faithful friends who are dear to us...

Have yourself a merry little Christmas,
Let your heart be light
From now on,
our troubles will be out of sight

Have yourself a merry little Christmas,
Make the Yule-tide gay,
From now on,
our troubles will be miles away.

Here we are as in olden days,
Happy golden days of yore.
Faithful friends who are dear to us
Gather near to us once more.

Through the years,
We all will be together,
If the Fates allow
Hang a shining star upon the highest bough.
And have yourself a merry little Christmas now.

I am abundantly blessed. About six months ago, my high school friend Morgan asked me about the status of my relationships in Dallas--whether or not I was happy with my friend situation.

When I look back on it, I answered her in an odd way. I told her that I didn't really know how to evaluate my happiness in relationship to my friends. Through the years, I've lived in a number of places and have had great friendships. It's odd, though, that as I live somewhere, my group of friends rotate every 4 months or so. I love all of those friends, and I know that in a moment's time, I could call them up, and it would be as if we never missed a beat. I'm not sure why that rotation happens--maybe it's normal? Sometimes it's natural--sometimes it comes with pain.

Regardless of where I am, though, there are always a few friends that defy that rotation, that stay with me for life. In regards to those friends, I could not be happier. Tonight, I sat down again with Morgan at a coffee shop near where we grew up, and I had the chance to answer her question again.

In the past 3 months, as I've prepared for this transition, my friends and family have embodied John 15: 13 that says, "There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends." I am more than positive that I am stripping this verse out of context and applying my own meaning and significance to this piece of scripture, but hear me out.

My friends and family have sacrificed their time, energy, and gifts for me, not just in the past few months, but for every second of my life. I think, though, that I am just now realizing its magnitude.

You have cried with me. You have contacted me to let me know that you'll miss me. You have given up your evenings to spend time with me. You have given up time with your family, significant others, and yourself to be with me. You have taken time off of work to move me. You have dedicated your time to helping me ready myself for a great adventure. You have traveled miles to see me. You have given up an easy Christmas, so that mine can be easy. You have made sacrifices that I still don't even realize. All of this...for me.

You have loved me. I have noticed, and I am so humbled by your love.

To those of you who I love more than life and who have loved me more than I deserve, thank you.