Auf Wiedersehen, Friends

Well, the Bennetts left on Saturday and to say that it made me sad would be an understatement. I expected some tears but I didn't expect to feel more alone now than before they came. Man, it hurt and I've been trying to get my bearings back ever since.

We had been looking forward to having friends in town pretty much since we arrived here. Until they came, I was starting to forget how easy it is when you are around people who know you and like you. So having them come and leave so quickly was a shock to the system. Their visit was like a breathe of fresh air and their leaving was like getting punched in the stomach. Sigh, they're gone, I thought. Now, what?

If I'm honest, I think I equated their leaving with leaving my old life behind. We're not in college anymore so we can't pop into each other's room when we need a giggle or a hug. We're married now so we have higher responsibilities to our husbands. Tia's a mother so she has even greater responsibilities still and we live thousands of miles apart now. Our easy friendship will never be easy again. And if our friendship which, in spite of all of the obstacles, is easy, what does that say about my others? How will those change?

It also made me sad to think that, with a few exceptions, Tia and Sean are the friends we most expected to visit. There are a whole host of others who would like to come but given the distance, cost of a ticket, and family/financial obligations will probably never make it here. After they left, John and I starting talking about who else we would like to see and the probability of their actually coming. Our list was depressingly short. There aren't going to be many more "Bennett visits" left for us and we still have 2 years left. If I'm going to make any sort of a life for myself here, no matter how short, I'm going to need to make some friends. But how?

Lastly, it just broke my heart to see that sweet little girl leave. By the time she left, she was so comfortable with us. The shyness that she exhibited during the first few days had virtually disappeared and that thrilled us. The last time I saw her--a year ago-- she was just starting to build up her vocabulary and now she is speaking in full sentences, starting to spell, and exercising the little comedian in her. How much will she have changed the next time we see her? And will she so openly accept Auntie and Uncle John the next time?

So, there has been a Bennett shaped hole in the B universe this week and we wish it would be filled again soon. One thing that struck me during their visit is how lucky we are to have friends like them and how comfortable things were from the beginning. In spite of the fact that we've not seen each other for a year,

we picked up where we left off. True friends will remain friends regardless of the circumstances. Visits, alone, do not demonstrate their sincerity. Emails, prayers, phone calls, and other reflections of love do.

Will it be easy to keep these bonds in tact? No, but all friendships worth having require some effort to maintain. Will the relationships change one way or the other? Absolutely, but time would have made it so in spite of our move. Am I developing a much stronger appreciation for all of our friends and loved ones back home? You better believe it.

For more pictures of our visit with the Bennetts, please follow this link to my Flickr account: http://www.flickr.com/gp/9997610@N02/Z361BW.