Not long ago, I lost a few friends due to some complex, difficult issues. The loss of those friendships hurt me a lot. I tried to make amends, but that didn't work for a number of reasons, and now a year or two later, the hurt if finally dissipating and some understanding is taking its place.
Do I still miss those friends? Yes, I do. i wish we could have made our friendship continue, but I couldn't accept the situation as it was and my friends were unwilling to come to a compromise in the situations at hand. So we parted ways.
Will we be friends again? Perhaps.
What did I learn? I learned that it's best to approach complexity and conflict with gentleness, listening, and quiet truths. To hit these issues with strength can create more problems, but to meet these issues with a quieter, more peaceful truth may bring transformation and continued connection. Also, I learned to observe more, listen more, and bring more patience to complex, conflicting situations. People need time to process and understand. Humor is another great tool during times like these.
In life we travel down many paths with many people. Some will mostly stay by our sides, others will appear and disappear, and some will be our guides and others will follow our lead. With each step of life's journey we learn more, and as we learn we become more humble and learn to love with greater depth and care.
There will be hurtful moments during life's journey, but we can expect that hurt to dissipate as time goes on and this is good to know. Onward.