The inimitable JR leaves today for Kosovo. I’ve not known her that long and I don’t know her that well, but however briefly, I’m very pleased that our paths did cross and will no doubt cross again in the future.

JR is one of those rare people who makes an impact. She has attitude. You either like her or you don’t – you simply can’t be indifferent. Her larger-than-life Catalonian character (tinged with a little Texan) ignites something in you that makes you question your raison d’être. She’s smarter than smart, funny, vivacious, and always questioning.

I’ve enjoyed her company on a number of occasions (our introduction facilitated by the equally lovely BS) and each time left with more than I came with. She has that all too rare ability to actually have a conversation that is at times cryptic, at times funny, at times poignant. It wafts from happy to sad, from calm to manic, from the sublime to the ridiculous. She has this peculiar notion about getting feedback, about registering with people, about validation. And it’s this and other such peculiar notions that make her so unique. Hers will never be a life unexamined. As she moves on from Budapest, although she might not miss this city, there are those here who will miss her presence in it.

She reminded me of the poem Reason, Season or Lifetime. True to form, after our farewell dinner, she made me think. I spent the next day wrapped up in thoughts of all those who have travelled through my life, some entering and leaving almost as soon as they’d arrived, some staying a while longer than others, some becoming permanent fixtures. And this week, I am truly grateful for each and every passing encounter, but most grateful of all for people like JR – people who made (and make) me stop and think and question.

Reason, Season, or Lifetime

People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime.
When you figure out which one it is,
you will know what to do for each person.

When someone is in your life for a REASON,
it is usually to meet a need you have expressed.
They have come to assist you through a difficulty;
to provide you with guidance and support;
to aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually.
They may seem like a godsend, and they are.
They are there for the reason you need them to be.

Then, without any wrongdoing on your part or at an inconvenient time,
this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end.
Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away.
Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand.
What we must realise is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled; their work is done.
The prayer you sent up has been answered and now it is time to move on.

Some people come into your life for a SEASON,
because your turn has come to share, grow or learn.
They bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh.
They may teach you something you have never done.
They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy.
Believe it. It is real. But only for a season.

LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons;
things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation.
Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person,
and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life.
It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant.

— Unknown

JR: Go n’éiri an bothair leat, mo chara… tóg go bog é

Note: For a reminder of what the Grateful series is about, check out Grateful 52