The Jewelry I Wear

When I was working with an autistic boy back home he had a CD that he liked to hear over and over again. I almost always danced with him and it was a bit of a workout to sing Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes. The last song on that CD was a bit odd in comparison to the Alphabet Song and The Wheels on the Bus and I hadn't heard it as a song before, only as a saying:

"Make new friends, but keep the old; one is silver and the other gold."
Hearing it (and dancing to it) so much made me think about friendships and relationships and it comes to mind now as I prepare to say goodbye to a new group of people. Everywhere I go I meet people that make me smile, whose presence and personality fill me with joy, each in their own unique manner. I meet people who I can pray with, go on adventures with, dance with, sing with (or make noise with depending on how deaf you are), be completely random with, laugh and cry with, creating memories that will not fade. With so many people in my life I asked a friend how I was supposed to say goodbye as I prepare to move to Spain. How can I balance all the relationships in my life so that I can indeed make new friends and keep the old, walking around with both silver and gold? Her response made me smile as I remembered all our conversations in college and all the tidbits of wisdom that I have not forgotten. She wrote back that every place I have lived in and all the people from each of those places come together to form something greater than I could imagine.

I'm ready to get out of here, to return to the real world outside this bubble but I don't want to say goodbye tomorrow as I leave this place, knowing that we literally will be around the world in the coming weeks. I don't want to say goodbye especially because it reminds me that soon I will say goodbye again. I never have been one to wear a lot of jewelry so I am still learning how to fully appreciate all the silver and gold I have but I rejoice in the shalom that comes with my friends, both new and old.