FRIENDS TURNED BROTHERS
As an individual, I have had to let go of many of my friends; but in most cases, it is never because of their attitude. The quest for a better life kind of takes them away from me; in as much as that could be sad, I have never considered it a bad thing; in fact, it is not.
So far, I can not remember one friend that I have had to let go of because of their attitude. Why would we become friends in the first place if our ideas and lifestyles are not compatible? Yes, we could be friends, but the extent of our friendship will certainly differ. So much so that I might not really count you amongst my close circles.
Speaking of my close circle, the friendship I had with my brothers in the Schoenstatt community, Ibadan, Nigeria, is one that I may never forget. Let go of them is one of the most difficult decisions that life forced us to make. But then, here we are today making the best out of life. It has been years now, and distance has gradually reduced the level at which we communicate, causing our bond to loosen a bit.
Amongst all the friends I have had to let go of, they are probably the only ones that force smiles through my face each time I remember the memories we shared. Travelling all the way from Port Harcourt City to the ancient city of Ibadan to begin an entirely new milestone, they were my closest ally. We all came from different parts of Nigeria, but we became and lived like brothers. It was the case that eight of us were admitted into the community at the same time, and that kind of developed a really strong bond.
It was all for the quest of becoming a Catholic priest, but many of us gradually started realising that that was not really meant for us. By the end of our philosophical studies, the first separation struck; 3 of us had to leave for different parts of the country, and it certainly was not funny. You could see it from the face of each of us that we would have changed the course of our lives if we had the power; but then what must be, must be.
We have a WhatsApp group up till now, a group that barely sees any messages. It was with this WhatsApp group that we kept in touch with each other, until time and distance gradually took their course. In their journey towards discerning their vocation, 5 out of the six of us who were still with the Schoenstatt community eventually left the religious life. At that point, and up till now, only one of us is still moving towards the goal that brought us all together in the city of Ibadan.
In all, we did not just lose our friendship, but we also lost the one course that brought us together in the first place. Except for Jeffrey; he will hopefully become a Catholic priest in less than a year's time.
