those people

There are those people
people who play an important role in your life
and then one day, are absent from it
and you wonder what happened
how they are, what their lives look like now

There are those people
people with whom you stay close
year after year
helping, encouraging, maintaining
watching lives unfold, blossom, strive

There are those people
people who are with you for a season
sometimes casually, sometimes vitally
yet each important, impacting
in their own way

There are those people
people who surprise you
with how vicious they can be
when you speak something they don't want to hear
hurting, striking, wounding

There are those people
people who surprise you
with how giving they can be
lending encouragement or cheer
at just the right time, unexpected

There are those people
people with whom you will never agree
differing personalities
differing views, differing choices
yet we may respect individuality

There are those people
people who receive what you have to give
with tender hearts
willing to hear what may not be eloquent
or eagerly heard

There are those people
people who play an important role in your life
stretching,
shaping,
teaching,
challenging,
encouraging.