Friendship that's going back over a decade...

Back when I was a middle schooler, there used to be a little cute boy with the brightest smile who visited my church. He was on the skinny side, but he had a smile that could light up a room. He'd find himself coming to visit me out of all of the other girls at the church. We became fast friends and childhood crushes.

Throughout our friendship, we'd be in and out of contact. That was mostly my fault, I'm afraid to admit. He'd come out with, "I love you. You don't have to repeat it back to me. I just told you because I wanted you to know." Awww, right? But, that scared the heck out me and I would swoosh, disappear. I don't know why it scared me, but I also felt that he was too young to know anything about love.

After years (again), we reconnected and found ourselves saying, "I do." And, within months quickly realizing, "I can't." Why? We were way too young making adult decisions without a support system. And, it fell apart. Through the years, we became mature enough to realize the truths, that the responsibility fell on both of us. We brought our immature issues to an adult relationship. However, our friendship was still so strong that the judge didn't want to grant us a divorce. I truly believe that our family struggles and hardships made us have a soul connection that has never been broken, as if our spirits found refuge in each other.

Well, after all of these years, we got a chance to spend some quality time together recently. He came into town and just like old times, we laughed and talked as if we never skipped a beat. We rediscovered how funny we each were, caught on our triumphs and challenges without the awkwardness. Granted, we talk on the phone from time to time but that's long distance. It's not the same as one on one. And, after all of these years he still says, "I love you...I just want you to know that." Awww, he has and probably will always be a great friend, which many of us skip in our relationships.