Friends Forever

"Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art...It has no survival value;  rather it is one of those things that give value to survival."   -C.S. Lewis

Yesterday as I drove in to San Antonio to drop my dog at the groomer (my husband used to groom him, but there were too many mishaps) I began to think about friends.  One friend came to mind as I remember our homemade broccoli pizza lunches.  Sometimes we ate pinwheel pasta with breadcrumbs, but we ALWAYS shared dreams, passions and life.  She was not only my friend, she was my role model.  She was a full-time college student with a heavy course load and an aerobics instructor.  She was never too busy for our friendship and everything she did was done with excellence.  I recall the excitement in my heart when she asked me to sing at her wedding.  Amazingly I didn't completely ruin the wedding with tears, just a little crack here and there.

Years later I returned to Connecticut specifically to see her.  Her home was impeccably decorated with the most beautiful farm mural on her daughter's playroom walls.  She painted the mural.  Every curtain was perfectly placed and pillow arranged to perfection, yet never did I feel uncomfortable to sit on the couch and disrupt the pillow arrangement.  Her home was a reflection of the inside of her heart;  clean, pure, and perfectly placed.  I returned again years later to a newer house and three children.  Again her home was a reflection of her heart and her precious children a reflection of her love, kindness and patience.  Today we still communicate regularly and she has since moved to Pennsylvania with her four children and husband.  Her friendship has meant so much to me.  She has always been the better friend, patiently showing me how to be better year after year.  Her excellence in all she does serves as a reminder of a trait I must always strive to attain.  Recently she told me, "...YOU are an incredible and memorable person. WAY better than perfect!"  I sat down and cried.   My survival has been more valuable with Suzanne as a FRIEND.

There are friends and there are FRIENDS.  FRIENDS are unchanged by time and space.  FRIENDS know you are hurting when no one else has a clue.  FRIENDS celebrate your accomplishments and encourage you through your disappointments.  FRIENDS never tear you down.  When you see a note or phone call from a FRIEND you smile all the way to your toes!  FRIENDS are honest even when you don't want them to be honest.  I am lucky to have more than a handful of FRIENDS; people who teach me goodness, perseverance, patience, love, and tact.

My only hope in friendship is to give to my FRIENDS as much as they have given to me, or more.  If I equate Suzanne to a Bible verse is would be James 1:19, "My dear brothers and sisters, be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to get angry."  Thank you for teaching me how to be a friend and for being mine.  Geography separates us while friendship unites us.