Ever since I worked at a hotel in Kalamazoo, shortly after my college years and before I jumped into government service, I have had a fond appreciation for the song “Time to Say Goodbye”.  Granted, when it plays over the speakers in the lobby over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over again and again and again and again, one can quickly get sick of it.

But that didn’t happen with me and this song.

Yesterday, it was one of the songs in the wind that I heard and it stuck with me.  It made me think that while I said goodbye to a number of things and a number of friends in 2013, many of which I will miss, I will always cherish the good times I shared with them.

Friendships may come and go, but a wise person once shared with me the following thought:

God doesn’t give you the people you want.  He gives you the people you need.
– To help you
– To hurt you
– To leave you
– To love you
And to make you the person you were meant to be.

Thanks to all of you in my life who have helped me change.  Apologies to those I may have hurt or otherwise offended through my actions or my lack of actions.

And here’s wishing everyone the best of everything that makes you happy, that makes you feel loved, that brings you peace.