Departure Withdrawl

Picture this...

You go out of town for a week or two - pretty far away. You go with some friends you don't know that well... yet. You get close, closer than family. Not only close with your friends, but with the new people you met and saw in and out for the whole time - people you had long conversations with, people you REALLY connected with.

...but then you leave.

You know you'll see then again, but not for another year. It literally pains you to leave - your head drops, and your heart sinks in a huge sink-hole of muck. Your face pounds from the tears that have saturated it for the past hour or so. What can you do from there but merely think about them at all times of the day and hope to have some e-mail contact? You start to think that this is merely some sort of withdrawal, but deep down, you know it's really more than that - these are real people you're dealing with here!

You had promised people you would e-mail them as soon as you got back. You have their e-mail, and they have yours. You're a few days late because you had to leave town as soon as you got home - without your luggage because your flight was canceled and had to drive cross country. You talk to some at first. But then... time goes one. Life goes on. For you and for them. Quite honestly, you know there is nothing you can do about it. They are gone forever. For now. You may see them or speak with them once a year... maybe. But mostly they just fill your memories, and only your memories.

What anomaly is this? I fear being forgotten, yet even I forget. I fight it, but it is not something to be fought. Not really. It is natural, though you feel it should not be. There is no other choice. Still, all that truly matters is this: God does not forget. There is no leaving with Him, in either direction. Yeah, that can be kind of intimidating, but isn't it what we really long for deep down anyways? A deep relationship that is consistent, ever-true, and always there? I know it's something I want...