For Old Friends
God who remembers,
We’re
grateful for the friends who’ve stayed. In a world of so much relational
transitivity, it is no small miracle to retain a sense of connection across
years. We thank you for those who have held us through tragedy and grief—who’ve
born witness to our tear-streaked faces and waited with us in the dark. Those
who have witnessed the good, the healing, and been there to toast to the
triumphs of this life. Those who have seen us in the mundane- the brunches, the
flat tires, the long hours, our voices changing. We thank you for showing us that some loves
last. That we are worthy of a belonging that transcends circumstance. Protect
these bonds, that we would not grow bitter or disillusioned with one another.
Or if disillusionment is our fate, may it be because we can love apart from the
mirage of one another’s goodness, or niceness, or brilliance. Let ours be a
company that has no need for such enchantments. And, having seen one another
face-to-face, give us the courage to remain. May it be so.
-Cole Arthur Riley, Black Liturgies
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