Seasons of Love.

As I was dancing the night away with my best friends at a wedding the other night, I came to a realization: "This may never happen again."

And as tough as it is to form those words, I know that life is changing and we are changing and everything is constantly changing. Marriages, and babies, and jobs take us everywhere but our small home town. 

So I soaked it up, and even when I my feet hurt, I kept dancing.

The bride was my first ever best friend. She lived two doors down, and was in my Kindergarten class. We grew up together, listened to Shania Twain together, and truly did life together. 

My other dance crew members were a mesh of my past and present. As I think back, I cannot quite fathom how wonderful it felt for my childhood to overlap with my current life right now. In all of my years, I have never seen it match up so perfectly. Yet it was all right there-- dancing and moving and twirling and cha-cha-sliding to the music. 

I loved it so, and it ended too quickly.

When I reminisce on what's been good, what's been right, and what's been full of joy, it all stems from love. 

Seasons of love. 

We go through so many different seasons of life. Many of us there at the wedding have weathered several seasons together, and have many more coming in the future.

No matter the season, they are filled with love. 

Seasons of starting school, not being cool, swimming in the pool, and dating a fool. 

Seasons of graduations, birthday celebrations, parking citations, and math equations.

Seasons of new careers, lots of tears, facing fears, and keeping secrets through the years. 

Seasons of chatting on MSN, cheering for a team to win, and signing yearbooks in pen.

Seasons of prom dresses, and making messes, regrettable exes, and moves to Texas.

Seasons of new dishes, and wishes, and pet fishes, and a tiny baby with a nose that squishes. 

Seasons of love.

And as the oh so popular song from the musical RENT says, "Measure your life in love." 

I do. 

Every single day. 

I wake up and think of all the loves in my life, and I feel so incredibly hashtag blessed.

I'm so thankful we go through seasons.

I'm thankful for the olds and the news and the yet to comes.

One thing I've realized as I have gotten older is that even though it seems that everything changes, some things stay exactly the same. 

My hometown. My 3rd grade best friends. My alma mater. My love for cats. And the way a dance floor brings out a new person in all of us. 

As each season comes and goes, I bottle up the memories--good and bad-- and save them for later. I save them for when I need a good laugh. 

Or when I need to cry.

Or when I really just need to smile... 

So, as for today, I close my eyes and think of watching Bonnie and Jake and Sam and Abby dance to some random Backstreet Boys song. 

I smile every time.