a post from mdog!

the other surprise of the weekend came in the form of a party. [woohoo, party!] a secret birthday gathering was in the works for a friend of mine, but unbeknownst to me, my upcoming birthday was also being included in the planning.

sneaky.

bloggingpaul was a little late, and he also ended up doing a good job of scaring away the children. but i guess we'll show some grace there. really though, it was a good time... food, drink, friends and fun, all in large doses. i feel very loved tonight.

lots of things converging in my head right now. kt's discussion on the meaning of home; a friend at the party tonight reflecting on the people in that room; me thinking about dear ones in my life, people i do life with, people with whom i feel at peace.

the town i live in is pretty transient. people come and go in the blink of an eye. this sounds fun at first -- a novelty of newcomers! -- but after a while you start to realize just how hard it is. some days i want to say the hell with it and refuse to befriend anyone new because they're just going to end up leaving anyway, right? but other days -- most days -- i think otherwise. because this is where life happens. the excitement of new relationship, the mutual growth, the inevitable parting, and everything inbetween... sometimes this is a long process, one that grows deep roots; sometimes it is a short turnaround. sometimes people move away and you find a bond that continues to grow strong; sometimes they are rediscovered years later and you find they reflourish.

in most cases i find that you have no idea what route things will take upon the first meeting of a friend. but i know they won't go anywhere unless you start.

i think about the dear ones in my life -- so close that i can't really remember what life was like before they entered the picture -- and i am so thankful i took that risk. and i think about the others in my life, and those i will meet in the future, and i wonder how many more i will be able to hold that close. and i am overwhelmed.