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There is a lovely saying, that people come into our lives for "a reason, a season or a lifetime".

Friendships, like romantic relationships, often don't have the purpose or compatibility to endure many seasons. Reflecting on my past, I have had a few close friendships which have all lasted as long as the circumstances in which they were born. Married friends who drifted away when my marriage ended; single friends who moved on when I re-coupled. Friends from a workplace who lunched on without me when I switched careers.

Instead of viewing these as great losses, I think of them instead as wonderful contacts who carried me through a particular phase of my life. And perhaps, I theirs. We nurture or nudge each other through unique moments and challenges along life's path and then, as the path changes, we move on, and move forward. We meet new people who need us more, now. Or perhaps, we need them more.

Each of my treasured past friendships was a special gift to me at a special time in my life.
And I see the creation of new personal relationships as a positive indication of my evolution as a person. As I seek out new situations, new hobbies, new experiences, I meet new people who more share my interests at that time and place.

Like relationships, ending a friendship and losing a friend can be a sad and mournful experience. But we can find peace moving on, when we remember that it is merely because our reason is fulfilled, or our season has ended.

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