Friendship Breakups

I had a pretty large and great group of friends growing up throughout my school years. I had girls I could count on to tell secrets to, be honest with me and goof around with. They were into the same things I was into: drama, chorus, ooing and awing over the boys. I found myself lucky, despite the typical high school drama outside my group, to have people I could truly count on.
For me, most of the friendships didn't keep after we graduated. I, unfortunately, ditched a lot of those friendships for a boy that took the number one place in my life for a while. And others ended due to lack of communication.
I read this article on Huffinton Post online titled: When Friendship Is Lost. It made me sad and really got me thinking about friendship. It makes me think about the friendships I've had and the friendships I have now. It's awful when a friendship ends. Especially with the access that we can still have to their lives through social media; you watch them go through all these milestones and wish you could be there to be a part of it all. 
But I have to face the fact that some friendships aren't meant to last. The Lord puts exactly who He wants in our life at the perfect time and for a specific reason. Some of those people remain for a lifetime and some for just a season. I've had a lot of these "season friendships" and looking back on them I see exactly why God put them there. To teach me a lesson or help me grow and then, when that is completed, we just "breakup." 
It's not easy to watch a friendship end though. Whether it be in a gradual way or abruptly; your fault or theirs. I find it harder for me to open up to new people, rather then be the social butterfly I once was, because of  how things have ended for me in the past. Things happened the way they were supposed to though. It doesn't stop me from missing the times we shared and the memories we made. Now they are just pictures in albums that lay packed away, never being looked at.
While I may not have as many friends as I once did, I do have a group of people in my life that I wouldn't trade for the world. Friends that make an effort and really show that they want me in their life. As my mother always said when it came to friends: quality>quantity! Surrounding myself with positive people helps me be the positive person I want to be. 

To have good friends, you must be a good friend first! 

I pray that I can continue in becoming a better friend than I have been in the past. And I pray that The Lord brings exactly who I need into my life when He deems best. I thank Him for the friendships I have that play such a big role in my life. I hope that those who used to play a big role have a lifetime of blessings and happiness and I thank them for how they helped equipped me to be the woman I am now, whether we are still in touch or not. 

So can a friendship breakup be as bad as a relationship breakup? Maybe not in the same way, but absolutely. 

Thoughts? Questions? Want to chat about this or anything else? gfmamaj@gmail.com :) 

By the way! 

Swiss Miss Candy Cane hot chocolate is the best treat for this time of year (even though it was sunny and 70 degrees here in SC) AND it's gluten free. 

Hope you are all getting your holiday shopping done and have put up your tree or menorah!!

Much love! Xoxo