Friends

My Anne and I are so incredibly blessed to have lots of great friends. This is largely a by-product of being old folks at this juncture in life. So whenever we gets calls from our out of town friends we really want to make the effort to connect, especially if there is food involved! So last night we had dinner with some great friends, who have two teens and enjoyed some Oregano’s Pizza with awesome conversation.

I know that it is great to have social media that gets pictures from all over the world on your laptop in seconds. I do enjoy reading the updates of my friends. Yet, there is something much more satisfying then looking at my mac air screen and that is having eye-to-eye friendship. I know that in today’s busy world that it is so much easier but less friendly to text someone then talk or e-mail then explain in person what is happening.

I think that the challenge today is that it is easy to assume that my 800 FB friends are really friends. Yeah, I have to confess that there are a few of them that are friends of friends that I don’t know much about. I know that relationships require face-to-face time and an ongoing nurturing that takes time. It isn’t possible even for a multi-tasking type to have more than 100 friends regardless. So how is it possible to maintain this façade of being popular and loved by many? Maybe better question would be to step back and say why would I even consider wanting to do this.

This helps me evaluate my own life and see that my family should really come first in my friend group. Yeah, this is easy to say and want but not always the easiest to do. As the parent, kid and now caretaker of my dad/grandpa it becomes rather demanding to juggle schedules, egos, personalities, likes/dislikes and personal preferences. I believe that it is all worth it to help create and make possible a family context that gives a sense of connectedness, value, self-worth, identity and a safe haven. I didn’t grow up with a home that was my ‘stomping ground’. We moved every couple of years. So I have continued until recently this pattern, not my choice necessarily but now I can say that Phoenix is my home. I have lived her since the middle 90’s.

As we approach Christmas, which is traditionally a family, gathering time I want to thank my friends who love me and help me experience the beauty and awesomeness of life. As I sit in my Starbucks and type this I know that the manager is quick to befriend me and partner with me in doing community work. As I listen to one of the younger baristas, whose husband is unemployed, they just got a house and have a baby, I know that they are struggling. Yet, it has been my choice to take the time to be around people that become the path to friendship.

I am so appreciative of my out of town friends who chose to call or I should say FB me a few weeks ago. I was thankful that our calendar wasn’t totally booked so getting a night to dine together worked out. Yeah, we and our friends have aged and their kids have gotten much older and taller, much to the demise of my wife whose stature becomes too obvious in contrast. I love having friends and I love being a friend. None of this would happen if God had chosen to be totally a private impersonal being. Yet, he chose to come to us as the Babe in the manger and now the resurrected Lord who understands my life. I would hope that all of us could nurture and grow our friendships, especially with our spouses and family.