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People change, but memories last forever

I took a gander at my wedding pictures and realized that I haven't spoken to many of the attendees who appear in them since the occasion itself. I also reflected on how different some of these people -- and our relationship -- were when we first met.

Life changes us all, some a little more than others. Marriage, kids, moving, shifting jobs and changing interests cause us to drift apart from people we were at one point very close to. It's hard to think that some of the people you would interact with on a daily basis are hardly in your life now.

Luckily for us, while people have a tendency to change over time, memories endure. I may have lost contact with many of my closest friends from high and college, but the great times we shared remain firmly seared in my memory. When one of those friends comes to mind, I try to reminisce about the good old days, and not fixate on the fact that we've become estranged of late.

This phenomenon applies to even my closest friendships. Two of my closest friends no longer live in my city, which, as can be expected, has created a bit of a rift. My other friend still lives in the same city, but now that I've moved, I expect there to be some distance -- and I don't just mean the physical kind.

It's a good thing that we have pictures, videos, and other media to take us down memory lane whenever we so desire. Even when friendships and relationships go sour, as the saying goes, you should never regret anything that once brought a smile to your face. You should accept that failed relationships served a purpose at some point in your life, and you ought to wish these individuals well in life.

There's a reason and a season for every relationship. Once we know it has run its course, we should resolve to find new people who can fill our lives with as much -- or more -- happiness as the outgoing individuals did.

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