See you later

"Our relationship was to be almost as intimate as a love-affair; we were to suffer from the same worn nerves; to be irritated by the same delays; but our life together, because it had been more perfectly rounded, seemed afterwards less real. For there is so much left over after a love affair; letters and mutual friends, a cigarette case, a piece of jewellery, a few gramophone records, all the usual places one has seen each other in. But I had nothing left but a few photographs to show that I had ever known these three men; I would never see the towns we passed through together and never run into them in familiar places."

- Journey Without Maps by Graham Greene, of his travels with his companions through Liberia

We took Leena to the airport yesterday for her flight home. I had known as much that relationships here can be often intense and short lived (in fact, those may be the very caveat given in the Intro to Mercy Ships manual). Nonetheless, I never expected to make such close friends. I am better for it, have been blessed by her companionship and sense of humor, her diligence towards cleanliness (which I aspire to) and appreciation of people.

And while Ester went with her to travel through Ghana (whereupon she will leave Leena and return to the ship), I know when Ester leaves in a week I will miss her too. As far as a living companion, I am so grateful to her. We have rarely communicated difficulties in living together, and this is nothing short of a miracle considering our confined space. And as for a friend, she has been candid, gentle and patient with me. I call myself blessed.

Though we never discussed it, I suppose there is a possibility that I may not see them again. Life has a way of happening, coming in between friendships, even with the dominance of technology in our lives, which I know we will lean upon for communication. Yet at the same time, I don't doubt I will see them again. Our world seems to be getting smaller and smaller and Norway and South Africa have always been nice vacation spots.

Like Graham Greene, I have photos to show for their existence and our time together. Yet even that at best is just data in a computer or an image on a piece of paper. However, what is real is the impression of them that exists in me which will grow in me throughout the rest of my life.