I lost a friend a few years ago—a best friend. It wasn’t to death or tragedy; it was more like a breakup. But it was still the loss of a genuine, BFF, you-are-my-rock friendship. The reason doesn’t really matter, and I imagine her side of the story looks very different than mine anyway, so it’s all relative. But it hurt.

It broke me up inside to the point where I felt consumed with anger, sadness, guilt, bitterness—all ugly things.

A boyfriend at the time was all about transcendence, auras, and guiding energy, and he convinced me to talk to a psychic, probably so I would stop talking about it with him.

RELATED: Life is Too Short for Fake Cheese and Fake Friends

Most of what the psychic told me was hocus pocus. I would marry a tall, blond Scandinavian. Wrong. I would have two girls. Wrong. But when she got to my friend, she said something that changed my life: “Your relationship has served its purpose. It’s time to bless her and send her on her way.”

Whoa.

After the months of mental anguish, wondering if I should reach out to my friend, wondering if she would reach out to me, wondering how to fix something in which I felt I had taken the high road and stayed true to myself, my values, and my self-worth. Do I put my integrity aside to save this relationship? Do I apologize for something when I believe with all my heart I’ve done nothing wrong?

Never had it occurred to me that some things don’t need to be fixed. Some things simply need to be let go.

With other friendships, I did not spend nearly enough time trying to nurture and build the relationships. I took our bonds for granted and assumed our closeness would withstand the tests of time, life changes, and priority shifts. I discovered this can lead to two results.

RELATED: I Can’t Be Everyone’s Chick-fil-A Sauce

One, the relationship ultimately dries out, as expected. No hard feelings, no animosity, the world keeps moving forward and our friendship does not. Or, two, the bond endures despite the obstacles, and over time and with new opportunities to reconnect, it’s like no time has passed at all. We find we’re still the same loving, caring friends we had been all along. These are the friendships we strive our whole lives to find. These are the friends we can count on.

I read somewhere that people come into your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. Not all friendships are meant to endure, and that’s OK. As much as I wish I could make everyone happy and be lifelong friends with everyone, it’s not realistic.

I’m going to embrace my lifetime relationships. I will encourage my season relationships. And I’m going to be grateful for my reason relationships.

I wish nothing but the best for my old friend. Our relationship served an important purpose and is now complete. I often wonder if she thinks of me, as I still think of her. I hope she, too, has found closure in our relationship. And I’m grateful for the time we did have. It made me a better person. But it’s time to move on.

RELATED: When You Realize a Friend Doesn’t Feel the Same Way About You

I’ve made room for other friends in my life, great friends who build me up and support me for who I am. Some of them are indeed here for a reason or a season, but hopefully, a few of them fit into the lifetime category.

To all my friends, old and new, thank you for being a part of my life, whether our friendship was for a reason, a season, or a lifetime.

Previously published on the author’s blog