About six months ago, I started attending aqua classes three times a week at my local LifeTime Athletic Club.  (Free to me, as a woman of a certain age!)  I absolutely love going.  In part because I do believe I’m healthier because of it, but also because of the camaraderie that I find with the other “women of a certain age.”

I was thinking about the friends I’ve met there these past few months, not solely for pool time, but some friends that I actually get together with outside of the club.  It brought to mind the fact that our changing life circumstances can bring new opportunities into our friendship world.

That’s when I remembered a cruise director analogy from a previous job and thought it fit into this scenario perfectly.  In this analogy, the cruise ship stops at various ports along its journey with some passengers disembarking and others joining the cruise.

As the Cruise Director, we bid a fond farewell to those who are disembarking, hoping their time aboard the ship was pleasant and that they  would also love their stay at their new destination. 

Then we warmly welcome the new guests who will enjoy the next foray out to sea, staying either for a short time, or perhaps for the duration of the cruise.

So let’s see how this reflects a lifetime of friendships.

I know we have all lost friends along life’s journey, and in many cases, it’s been a painful experience.  In other cases, we may have merely lost touch with someone, or life circumstances have caused us to have less in common with them.

I’m sure you’ve heard the saying, “People come into your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime.” This is an opening line of a poem by Brian A. “Drew” Chalker.  

I don’t have to ponder this very long to have a decent sized list for each category.  And the older I get, the more I see the wisdom of considering that friendships will not all be a forever relationship.

I don’t want to suggest that we hold our friendships too lightly, but I do believe there is something to be gained by viewing any lost relationships in a more pleasant setting.  Hence the cruise director analogy, and likely what Mr. Chalker was portraying in his poem.

With my Cruise Director hat on, I can enjoy the companionship of my friends as fully as possible for the time they’re on the ship.  If a circumstance outside my control causes them to disembark and take up residence in a port city, I’d like to be grateful for the fun we had on the ship, and wish them nothing but the best on their new adventure.  I can keep that friendship fresh through my memories.

As God reveals new opportunities for friendships, I want to have my heart open to what blessings this new relationship might bring into my life.  These openings are likely all around us; we just need eyes to see. 

My LifeTime class is the perfect example of this.  I was quickly drawn to a couple of women in this class, and as the weeks went by, I realized that they could certainly become friends.  And that’s exactly what has happened as we’ve socialized together “outside the waters.”

I don’t know which category they will fall under – season, reason or lifetime – but I am enjoying our time on the ship together.

And for those friends who have been on this cruise with me since it first left port, and show no signs of wanting to take off to the next port city, I’m grateful for the steady beat of those relationships.  It’s truly a precious gift from God.

How about you?  Do you see guests on your ship that have been with you since you set sail?  I’m sure you’ve had to say goodbye to some along the way.  But I pray you’ve also been blessed with new friends, anxious to hang out with you as you head back out to sea.

Two are better than one,

    because they have a good return for their labor:

If either of them falls down,

    one can help the other up.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10