Long ago a friend I lost died, but a few months before that friend's death, we made peace so when he died, there was both sadness and peace. I don't like to leave conflict open anywhere. Instead I like to make peace with people. I know that conflict will happen in life as we're all traveling many different paths and sometimes those paths may be in direct opposition to one another. I also know that we can travel conflicting paths and still have peace with one another too. None of us know it all; no one walks in another's shoes; and there are many right ways to live life. Our conflicts with one another in many ways helps us to refine and revise our paths--our conflicts are the sandpaper that smooth out our rough edges and help us identify a smoother path.
When my lost friend died, I understood why our lives had taken such different paths. I had great compassion and empathy for my friend--I recognized the gifts he brought to life and how those gifts will continue to positively impact our world via those my friend touched.
As I think of friends lost, I am thinking of ways to make peace with each of those friends. A couple years ago I reached out to the long lost friends via letters. I'm happy I did that, and now I reach out more regularly when relationships are strained.
We have to be our best selves and sometimes those selves won't match who others are or what others want. We have to accept that this is a natural occurrence in life, and an occurrence we can accept with peace and love. Onward.