Tending the Soil

For most folks, there are three cornerstones that build the foundation of our lives. Those three F's are these - Faith, Family, and Friends. Each of these have one key component in common with each other - a relationship. Like any thing worth having in life, these can sometimes be difficult to maintain. We have to steadily work at them, lest they fall away. 
This past semester at Shenandoah University was a challenging one for many when it came to relationships. The social dynamic for many of my colleagues was tested because of certain events or actions. A number of longstanding friendly bonds soon fell to pieces because of something that someone did or said. It broke this writer's heart to see the personal struggles that so many faced over these past few months. 
There was no exception for this fellow either.
Ya know... there are a number of relationships that I wish I had left on better terms at semester's end. There are some that I tried to mend but to no avail. Those are the cases that pain me the most. Perhaps, some day in the near future, things will be in a better place that they are now. I just wish I knew how to fix some of them.
Friends, we all do and say things that we shouldn't. I know I have many times, and I'm not proud of those moments. But we can't sit here holding grudges against folks and expect things to get together. We have a terrible time forgiving others, don't we? The truth is that when we cannot forgive, we are truly hurting ourselves more than anyone. That in itself is a tragedy.
This year is quickly coming to a close, and I feel that now is a good time to get these things out in the open. I'm not saying that we should act as though nothing happened, but what I am saying is that we ought to forgive one another and move on. 
Pointing the finger and blaming others seems to popular thing to do these days. Remember that we, too, have done some not-so-popular things. Let's stop hurting each other and work to mend those broken relationships.
This Christmas season, let's try and right some of the wrongs from yesterday. Maybe then we will be able to have an even better tomorrow.

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