The Gift of Friendship

I spent the last couple of days with my friend Jean.  Actually, I should probably say "with one of my friends named Jean" since, as I have been thinking about it, I have realized I have quite a few friends with that name!  In any event, this particular Jean and I have been good friends for almost 20 years.  The friendship really blossomed when we were both living in Brandon, Florida.  Now we both live in other places and meet up a couple of times a year in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, which is the midway point.

These last couple of days were great fun.  I got a head start on some Christmas shopping. I bought another coffee mug at Old Mill Pottery. I bought some new clothes.  And I found some bargains.  Great fun indeed!

I always look forward to these trips.  The shopping is fun.  And there's great value in shopping with a friend who will not let you buy something that doesn't look good on you, no matter how much you might like it!  But even more than the shopping, I look forward to the girlfriend time.  Good conversation.  Catching up.  Encouraging one another.  That's the best part of the trip.  And this trip was no exception.  It was a really good couple of days.

Thinking back over the trip this morning has me also thinking about friendship in general, and more specifically, thinking about the many friends who have graced my life over the years.

There's the friend who opens her home and gives me the key.  The friend who once baby-sat my houseplants while we were in the process of moving.  The friend who baby-sits my dog.  The friend who brought soup and other food when I had the flu and Al was out of town.  Friends with whom I have shared laughter.  And tears.  And coffee.  And pie. 

Friends who understand (and put up with!) my moods.  Friends who know when a hug is needed, without a word being spoken.  Friends I've traveled with and laughed with and cried with.  Friends who have been there for life's happiest moments, like my wedding or the birth of my children.  Friends who were there in life's saddest hours, like when my parents died.

Friends who love the Bible.  Who love the study of the Word.  Who love Jesus.

Friends are among life's greatest blessings.  If wealth were to be measured in terms of friendship, I am wealthy indeed.  And so grateful to God for the friends that bless my life.

Especially grateful for the best of all friends.  Especially grateful for Jesus!

"A friend loves at all times."  (Proverbs 17:17 ESV)