New Friends

October 17, 2017 · on Facebook post

The short: go now and listen to my friend Alec's beautiful new album!

The long: about a year and a half after Greg passed, I had this resolution in my mind that I was just not going to make any other real close friends from that point on. This was not an emotional decision or even one that I wrestled with; it was simply a matter-of-fact. The idea of making friends that Greg didn't know, who didn't know and could never know him, and the emotional energy required to bring someone else up-to-speed just seemed so utterly impossible. And the reality was that I had plenty of supportive friends and family, so I just figured they were enough to ride out the rest of life with. (This of course makes sense when you are in a place in life where your goal is to just survive.)

Enter Alec and his wife, Allie. While in such a stubborn and fragile place, the friendship they naturally offered was genuine, without motive, personal and had a lightness that provided a safe space and opened up for me this possibility of a community of people beyond what I had know with Greg. (Friendships are one of the many things that need "untangling" after loss). This friendship in particular was a beauty in the suffering that showed me, once again, the smallness of my faith and the unending kindness of my Father towards me.

An added bonus is that Alec is also an amazing musician whom I highly respect and get the joy of playing music with frequently. I'm immensely proud of his new offering (and for letting me contribute to one of the songs, Joy Without You), please go listen and share in my joy and thanks.