Mai Maka'u (Don't be afraid)

I visited a homeless ministry/church today for a journalism project I'm working on in one of my classes. It was one of the most intriguing experiences I've had in a while. The sense of community there is overwhelming; many members are bussed to the church together, live on the streets together, and spend hours growing in their god together. I suppose I'd never seen friendship run that deep, or expressed that openly. These people are so grateful for companionship, anybody to talk to, and it made me consider and be grateful for my own friendships in life.
I've been talking a lot about love lately. Contradicting my own views, isolating myself from the world in my introverted necessity, trying to express the optimistic side. So what do I think about love? I'm honestly not sure, at the moment. I think that I'm leaning toward pessimism, pushing away those who love me most and storing my closest friendships deep within my heart. During one conversation today, I came across this quote which I think vividly depicts friendship in its truest form.
How true this is, in my life at the moment. I can feel some friendships slipping through my fingers. Others have weathered so much that I could spend years away, come back, and find that the friendship has only grown stronger.

"Friendship is like holding on to sand. One can't hold on to sand because sooner or later it's either going to blow away, slip through your fingers, or you're going to get tired of holding on to it. But if there are two people both trying to hold on to the same pile of sand, one can block the wind, catch the sand falling through the fingers, or hold it when the other is tired..."
---Mark Anthony Raquedan

Relatively soon, I am going to have to think more deeply about this quote. Two years on another continent, with only email and handwritten letters to communicate with those I love. It makes me wonder which friends will become more distant, which will grow closer. And if I have a boyfriend, I wonder how that's going to work. Could it? This is something I'm going to have to consider even in the next year with relationships...if anything long-term happens before I graduate, that's going to be a major determinant of a future together. Hmm. The future is a scary place. But I'm EXTREMELY excited about the corps. Since the beginning of high school, I have felt that it's something I NEED to do with my life. I don't have a choice. It's my fate/destiny/whatever you want to call it.

Anywho. There's my quote and long-winded discussion that is a little random :)