One of the most amazing gifts in life is that of having a
friend. Last night my Anne and I went out with some friends. We attempted to go
to a great little Bistro only to discover it was closed for remodeling. We
instead went to a great little BBQ place that has the best brisket in Phoenix.
I have known my friend over the last 4 years and he has been involved with
doing tutoring and helping organizing painting projects. I just have recently
gotten to know his lovely wife. It was such a joy being able to listen to each
other’s stories and see our lives unfold.
We decided to finish with dessert at one of our favorite
downtown places that serves the best crepes. We had a fresh fruit crepe with
real whip cream and ice cream. We sat outside in the large patio area, enjoyed
the clouds and informative conversation. It felt so good to not have to respond
to texts, calls or e-mails for a couple of hours. All of us reflected on how
difficult it is to make friends and keep friends with all of life’s ups, downs
and transitions.
This morning I had a call from a good friend who is also my
mechanic. Unfortunately his mother in-law had passed yesterday. I have been
involved with my friend’s son over the last 6 years. He has been a great
support of our work with at risk youth and helping struggling families. So I
wasn’t surprised when he asked me for a favor. I said I would love to help but
what is it that you need? He proceeded to share that his wife wanted me to do
her mom’s funeral this coming Monday. I quickly spoke up and said I would be
honored to be part of her life celebration. I talked with her a little to give
her a sense of what I would like to do. So again friendships make such a
difference in today’s world.
I had lunch with a new friend yesterday. He is involved with
doing campus work at ASU. He was a very high-powered guy that talked even more
fast paced than me. He shared his life story and how he ended up at ASU being
involved with college students. It was rather refreshing to hear someone that
was able to be honest about wanting to learn from those that are older and more
experienced. I shared my story and highlighted my experience as a college
student who was also very involved with campus ministry. He had asked me if I
would support him financially. I had brought him a check and explained that I
would love to do lunch once a month and give him his support check that way.
I’m blessed to have many good friends and a handful of close
friends. This morning I sent out a text to a group of close friends and within
minutes had encouraging responses from all of them. I admit that it is a
logistical challenge to connect with friends in a consistent fashion if we
don’t have a normal point of contact. Yet, the effort is truly worth it. It’s
my choice to stay connected and be willing to rearrange my life to make it a
priority.
I’m so thankful that my friend had invited us to go out for
dinner last night. It made our day! So learn how to be a friend and discover
the impact that it will have in your life.
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