Smeagol is Free!
A hermitudinal view of...stuff...


6.05.2006  

Impossible

I was charged with conveying the thoughts and feelings of the four groomsmen, myself included, to Andrew and Sandi. I thought to myself, "How in the world am I supposed to capture half a lifetime of friendship in a few brief words?"

As I mulled over it in my mind, I realized that such a task really was impossible; I think it's supposed to be that way. It's one of those situations where just as much is conveyed by what is said as by what is not said. In a sense, I think that's how I felt for a good portion of the day yesterday. I mean, there we were, standing there, the guy's getting married to the girl of his dreams, and all I could think of was how impossible it is to put a friendship like ours into words.

In an attempt to be succinct, I tried to think of that one moment that defines our friendship. Silly stories came to mind: Snuffy, his old Toyota van, gushing out radiator coolant at Hale'iwa McDonald's; walking up to the airport gate for his flight to Vancouver, late as usual, with thirty or so friends and family members shaking their heads at us; "dancing" at Malaekahana; chasing that mouse around with Dave; pushing Dave and Mon's van to a gas station; getting pulled over in that same van the first time I drove in snow; being sick together for nearly three weeks in my room; laughing about his DTR with the car visor; laughing about my DTR with the car visor; and virtually all of our conversations wherein we tried to understand girls.

Of course, that wasn't all. Sober, and sometimes painful, memories came to mind as well: that conversation we had in Starbucks where he forgave me for being an idiot; the entire year before that where I was an idiot, and pretty much threw away his friendship; that conversation in Jumbo's where we talked about giving "the last ten percent"; the youth camp in the summer of 2001 where we prayed together in ways we'd never prayed before; and that conversation last November, just after Thanksgiving.

But that's not all. Joyful recountings also ran through my head and heart: every time we picked up one another at an airport; early morning conversations at kitchen tables; many, many, many meals; ministering together at Grandpa's memorial service; being the first to be told that she said, "Yes!"; that conversation on marriage, two Novembers ago; the Five-Year Plan; and of course, every surf session we've shared.

Still, even all the memories of our friendship, were they exhaustively listed and explained, would not suffice. Why? Such memories are just that, mere memories. They don't capture what's in my heart or what's in Andrew's heart, or more specifically, what God has done to weave our lives together. Nor, for that matter, do such memories effectively display the hope we have in what God will do in the future.

But you know what? That's ok. It's not possible for man to set the stars in their place; nor, I think, is it possible for me to cast Andrew's friendship in mere words. For that, I'm glad...for that, I'm blessed, for it's a friendship worthy of far more than words :)

posted by Bolo | 10:56 AM
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