Fairest of All Seasons

"Now that its time
Now that the hour hand has landed at the end
Now that its real
Now that the dreams have given all they have to lend...
Its now I know, do I stay or do I go?
And it is finally I decide
That I'll be leaving in the fairest of all seasons."
-Jackson Browne

I will start writing about this now so it doesn't creep up on me later. The academic life is a nomadic one, and while we will be in Wilmore for another year some dear friends are leaving.

I do not want to say goodbye. When people have been a part of your life, helped you through the early years of marriage and parenting, celebrated the good times with you, it is not easy to think they will never again be a few minutes away.

In thinking about friendship that past few weeks, anticipating these sad departures, I began to figure out what it means to be a friend. Well, first I thought of what it means to not be a friend. I think envy and indifference are both opposed to friendship for many reasons. Being friends with someone, in the truest sense, is somewhat the opposite. You are happy for your friend's achievements, success good fortune rather than being envious; you are also sensitive to the movement of their lives rather than indifferent.

So as much as I want to be sad over my friends leaving, I have to remember what being a friend means. Knowing they are moving on to be near family, to have careers, to make their way in the world-- their happiness overwhelms my sorrow as their joys become my own. I am very glad, very blessed, to have known so many good friends in our time here, making this a very fair season indeed.

"You're so far away
Doesn't anybody stay in one place anymore?
It would be so fine to see your face at my door
Doesn't help to know you're so far away."
-Carole King