Genuine Bits and Pieces

Invest your faith in genuine things.

If I could forget all else that this summer has taught me yet still hold on to that teaching and have it remain relevant from this point on, I would do so. Genuine people, genuine moments, allow your effort to go there.

Two months, an adventure of a lifetime, now distancing itself in the rearview mirror of my mind. With all of my friends gone, I spent the last two days in Florence alone, allotted ample time to reflect on this journey. The city was quiet. Oddly quiet for a town accustom to its noisy inhabitants over the summer months. I took time to myself to watch the sunset over the Arno river and think.

Pacing through the past experiences in my mind, I found that memories were made due to the people rather than the places. My adventures never started with, “When I was by myself...” rather, “Alec and I... Michelle and I... Tyler and I... Christine and I... etc.”. Rarely, even when I was surrounded with awe-inspiring beauty and natural wonders, was the fond memory a result of the geographic location, rather the people that I was fortunate enough to share the experience with. However, I find it sobering to think about the fluidity of these new-found relationships. We’ve laughed, told stories, shared passions and struggles, yet, in a blink, we are no longer together. Although the “I’ll see you soon”s and the “We’ll visit each other”s are plentiful, the somber reality is that, with a nation between the majority of my friends, many of these goodbyes are final. You may hear this and think it bleak, as did I when I was first came to the realization. Yet, let me show you how my views have changed.

“Bits and pieces, bits and pieces.

People.

People important to you,

People unimportant to you cross your life, touch it with love and move on.

There are people who leave you and you breathe a sigh of relief and wonder why you ever came into contact with them.

There are people who leave you, and you breathe a sigh of remorse and wonder why they had to go and leave such a gaping hole.

Children leave parents, friends leave friends. Acquaintances move on. People change homes.

People grow apart. Enemies hate and move on. Friends love and move on.

You think of the many people who have moved in and out of your hazy memory.

You look at those present and wonder.

I believe in God's master plan in our lives.

God moves people in and out of each other's lives, and each leaves a mark on the other.

You find you are made up of bits and pieces of all who have ever touched your life.

You are more because of them, and would be less if they had not touched you.

Pray that you accept the bits and pieces in humility and wonder, and never question and never regret.

Bits and pieces, bits and pieces”  -Lois Cheney

This poem by Lois Cheney sums up my new perspective on fleeting relationships in a more articulate way than I could hope to accomplish. Don’t be sad because people you love have to leave, know that because they were a part of your life, they have built you in some way. They will always be a part of you.

Before I walked out of the airport in Portland, I was in an embrace with good friends and an American flag was thrust over my shoulders. I was humbled. Soon I was in Thurston where the day revolved around smack talk, basketball, and pool time. All things that make the Ybarra clan run in its seamless, dysfunctional manner. The night concluded around a crackling fire in my back yard, surrounded by treasured friends, many of which I’ve known for more than 5 years. Again, I was humbled. The next day I traveled through Corvallis and on up to Beaverton to move into my new home for the summer. Once more, I found myself surrounded by those I hold dear. And again, I was humbled.

I have been humbled. I have been humbled by the genuine people I have had the honor to meet and call friends. I have been humbled by the fact that these people, these amazingly talented, incredibly admirable people, take time for me. It may not sound like much, but really, it’s the world. The fact that these commendable individuals will give up part of their day in order to make time for me is one of the most cherished things I have in my life.

“Friendship is one of the greatest gifts a human being can receive. It is a bond beyond common goals, common interests, or common histories. It is a bond stronger than sexual union can create, deeper than a shared fate can solidify, and even more intimate than the bonds of marriage or community. Friendship is being with the other in joy and sorrow, even when we cannot increase the joy or decrease the sorrow. It is a unity of souls that gives nobility and sincerity to love. Friendship makes all of life shine brightly. Blessed are those who lay down their lives for their friends.”  -Henri Nouwen

For those of you who have done simple things in my life, thank you. For all of you who have walked in and out of my life, or are still a part of it today, thank you. I will do my best to always cherish the genuine things in life. Please know that you have all done your part in building me into who I am. You have all contributed your bit and your piece. Thank you.

With genuine love and appreciation,

Rhett