Rolling in as a grand Thanksgiving storm, the past few days blessed most people with the ability to share time with friends and family they don't usually get to enjoy. This being said, the time spent among familiar faces and loving hearts we all cherish so deeply allows the average individual to go home saying "my, how I've missed so-and-so" and "I HAVE to keep up with (him/her) more!" While sometimes this is a reflection of busy or changing times, and allocating time to communicate with others may be a recent struggle, most of the time I feel as if this is a feeling that reoccurs every year... as sad as that sounds.

You see, I believe there's a certain category of relationships that we often act like don't exist. We either try to lump them with our closest friends and relatives or into the pile that "we don't really know all that well". This season, I'd like to shed light on a special breed of people that don't seem to receive enough respect for what they mean in one's life. I like to call them my supporters-from-afar.

They're common to have and even more common to act as. They love you just as much as some folks you get to see regularly, yet they show it in a more behind-the-scenes way. They're in the form of your great grandmother who always forgets which days are the real holidays, and in the form of a seasonal friend. They're in the form of those who don't live so close, and distant family friends. They're in the form of old teachers, co-workers, pastors, and even old friends. I'd even venture to say that they are in the form of present friends that you're too busy to talk to until you force yourselves to get together.

These people, distant as they may seem to the untrained eye, play a key part in the orchestra of our lives. They love us dearly and truly, even if the only times they can express it are through Facebook comments, cards, or yearly visits. And though contact with them may come few and far between, these individuals yet add an aspect of sweetness to our lives that deserves some appreciation. While some people are given to us to grab our hands and walk with us directly, others are meant to cheer from the sidelines as we go about our race. Most people are given a mixture of both, with not only a multitude of people to be encouraged by, but also plenty to cheer for, too.

So, here's to my supporters-from-afar. Thank you for the love and the prayers. Thank you for the comments and advice. Thank you for the encouragement, and for being present in my life's moments by embracing pictures and stories shared. Thank you for rooting for me, for checking up on me when you haven't heard anything in a while, and for being everything I remembered when we do meet. Thank you for being an out-of-the-blue surprise, a consistent place to run to in my mind, and for the added joy you bring to my life.

I know from where I get support from, and I know that it will never change. Thank you for being you, and for impacting my life for the better. You make a difference to me.

And if you're reading this, I hope you'll also be encouraged, as this gentle message has reached you for a reason. Your kind-hearted efforts are noticed and needed, and I hope you'll never feel less important than you are in someone's life. Your cheer, no matter how loud, is just what they need to hear.

"Sometimes, the person viewing you from afar, loving you in silence, is the person capable of loving you in the most important ways of all."