26

I haven't spoken very openly on the blog (though there have certainly been hints) about the fact that for the last year and a half a number of relationships I highly valued have been in the midst of deep upheaval and brokenness, and, though it deeply grieves me to say it, right now many of them seem to have come to a stopping point. I pray that they are only stops, and not an ending.

The grief over these changes comes in waves a bit, and tonight, as I'm staring at a milestone of sorts tomorrow, I'm feeling it just a bit.

I'll turn 26 tomorrow, and I'll probably talk then about how I actually love birthdays and turning another year older.

But tonight, just for a moment, I'm pausing.

Birthdays are one of those things you celebrate with friends, and, in a year when many highly valued relationships have imploded, it's hard to come upon a birthday and not feel the grief and loneliness of some of those implosions.

So, tonight I'm praying as I have most days this year. I'm praying one of the items from the "be relentless" in prayer list that God and I talked about as the new year began. I'm praying for healing and restoration of relationships, even in the moments when it is impossible for me to believe that this could still happen. And I'm praying for those people my heart still loves, even at a distance, and asking Jesus to meet each one of them, to pour out blessing upon them, to supply all of their needs, and to give them peace.