You have to let people go. Everyone who’s in your life are meant to be in your journey, but not all of them are meant to stay to the end.

Embrace who’s in your life now, because you never know how much time you have.

We grow up, go off to college, get new jobs, move to new cities, travel to new places; we’re always on the move. With all of this change, it would be impossible to keep the same three best friends. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely adore my best friends and would love for them to be around my entire life, but life brings us all in different directions and there’s no promise that everyone we love will choose the same path.

With each stage of life, comes new people.

Every new experience comes new people to experience it with. Those friends we have when we are children will grow up, and might not be the same friends who help us endure the awkwardness that is middle school, the craziness of high school or the independence of college. God sends new people to help us through every stage of life and each will bring exactly the opinions, advice and encouragement needed for that stage. The uniqueness of the stage is largely dependent on the people it is spent with, so choose wisely.

People are unique.

The uniqueness of those in our lives makes them absolutely irreplaceable. Whether they are sensitive, trustworthy, reliable, encouraging or loyal, embrace who they are and love them for every part of them. Letting parts of them rub off on us isn't the worst thing in the world—it actually makes for a well-rounded person.

Never hold on to someone for too long.

When someone steps out of our lives, we can't give them the power to break us. Some people are only meant to stick around for a time, and when that time has ended, we need to learn to accept it. Losing people is hard, but eventually new people will come into our lives. While they will never replace those who have left, they will be there for us in ways that we need in that stage of life—often ways those who left couldn't be.

Everyone who comes into your life has a purpose.

Some are there to make memories with, some to teach us new lessons, some to lead us to new experiences and some are just there to make a few mistakes with—but each is important. With everyone who comes in and out of our lives, we put the pieces together of who we are meant to be. Each person leaves an imprint and becomes a part of who we are. No matter how the person went out of our lives, we need to remember how and why they came into our lives and how they helped us grow.

Some friendships though, are absolutely timeless.

They may be few and far between, but friendships like these are unlike any other. They are not to be taken for granted. If we have the joy of a friend who stays by our side through every stage of life, we are definitely blessed. The best friends change with us, and love us through everything we choose to chase.

Be grateful for who’s here now, never forget who was here once and never let yourself be too heart-broken over someone who’s no longer here.