When negative feelings are suppressed, positive feelings become suppressed as well, and love dies.

So...Saturday was an interesting day for me. I spent quite a few hours with a family that was once very prominent in my life. I allowed them to drift away, but I have recently been working to rectify that situation. I knew that I wanted to blog something about this event but had no clue what parts to include and what parts to leave out. Then, I received a very appropriate e-mail from my Mammaw. It stated the following::

People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime.

When someone is in your life for a REASON, it is usually to meet a need you have expressed. They come to assist you through a difficulty, to provide you with guidance and support, to aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually. They may seem like a godsend and they are. They are there for the reason you need them to be. Then, without any wrongdoing on your part or at an inconvenient time, this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end. Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away. Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand. What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled, their work is done. The prayer you sent up has been answered and now it is time to move on.

Some people come into your life for a SEASON, because your turn has come to share, grow or learn. They bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh. They may teach you something you have never done. They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy. Believe it, it is real, but only for a season.

LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons; things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation. Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person, and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life.

You may apply this message to your life in a completely different way than I did, and rightfully so. I feel as if life is too short to hold grudges against people you love...the relationship may not be exactly the same ever again, but it can still be something wonderful. This particular family is too near and dear to my heart to simply cut them out anymore. I am estatic that we are beginning to heal and move on. Relationships take work. They are ever changing because the individuals involved change. These individuals need to accept these changes and change with each other or you'll drift apart. Talk about your issues; don't hold them in. "When negative feelings are suppressed, positive feelings become suppressed as well, and love dies." John Gray