Abiding with each other

I had a day of relationships -- nothing spectacular, but just the stuff of on-going friendships.

1) Conversation for 50 minutes in Diane's office, reconnecting with someone I love but don't get enough time with.

2) And conversation for just 30 minutes or so with Barb, face-to-face and spontaneous, which was a treat in our routine of several-times-a-day phone calls. (Isn't it funny how seeing someone's eyes and mannerisms adds so much to what is conveyed in their voice. And I won't even start on how much just hearing someone's voice adds to email or written communication. But there is still a core intuitive sense of a person that stays consistent, even with the added dimension and depth that face-to-face brings.)

3) And time with Emily and Alicia to connect there and walk away glowing with the warmth of just liking someone and having them like you.

4) Time connecting by email with a friend that I hadn't talked to since the last Sunday in July.

5) A surprise call from another friend that I treasure, just confirming time together this weekend -- but the thrill of just hearing this dear woman's voice unexpectedly caught me by surprise.

6) Unexpected communication from my husband in the midst of his work day.

7) An email from Heather, even though it was her last day working before her wedding this Saturday

And many other phone calls and emails and "connects" . . .

And also time missing some people I haven't been able to connect with for a while.

And all of those things . . . all the kinds of connecting with each one and the time missing each one -- and each person being so much them that no one else could bring the same joy or the same sorrow and longing when they're not available . . . how much is that the reality of our lives, and all the tasks and circumstances apart from people are just "stuff"?

I am very blessed to have the people in my life that I have in my life, and the ones that I have to miss are just as much a part of that blessing as the ones I get to see and hear and type to. I have loved going through photos as I've done my "passions" blog, and I will eventually post photos and comments about Diane and Darci and Emily and Barb and others -- but the photos of my grandparents did the most to remind me of how much we do "abide" with each other -- to such an extent that our presence is there even when it is not.

And it seems to me that all that is very tied to how we abide with Him -- Jesus. I still long to see His face, but I know His abiding presence. And the closer I am to Him -- the more I abide there -- the closer I am to the people I love. . . and the warmer the sense of connection to those who can't sit across a table from me and talk to me anymore . . . and the more "missing them" becomes "abiding with them", as I know they are abiding with Him, too.