Friendships Provide New Growth
Memories are a precious possession. I have acquired my most precious memories by opening my heart and taking the risk of sharing myself with others. You can never understand the risk-benefit ratio in friendship until you abandon all fears and jump into friendship with reckless abandon. As a young extroverted girl who loved life and had a zest for learning and sharing my passions with others, I tended to jump right into friendships. I never counted the cost because I just loved people. You meet a friend, share some interests, and over time, soul connections develop into lasting friendships that allow you to pick up right where you left off….friendships that are never limited by time or distance. Deep enduring friendships are committed to working through difficulties and to sharing in one another’s joys and sorrows.
One of the best things I have received in my life is the gift of deep and abiding friendships.
A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of gathering with friends that I have known since grammar school. One of the gals and I have been friends since kindergarten and the rest of us met in 7th or 8th grade. So our friendships spanned 50-55 years. We brought photo albums and yearbooks and spent the afternoon and evening reminiscing and laughing and talking about old times. We prepared a meal together and took lots of pictures. We shared about our lives and many of our joys and some of our sorrows. The best part of our time together was there were no walls or pretenses…everyone was willing to be vulnerable and “real”. I am sure there were hidden things in each one of our lives that did not come up that night but in time, I hope that the foundation was set for deeper conversations in the years to come. 
The hostess Susi and me-friends since 8th grade.
Carol, Betsy and Susi-Friends together since elementary school.
The gang (minus Carol the photographer).
A feast of appetizers. 
One lifelong hope and prayer is that a I can be a light to shine the love of God to others and help each one of my friends have a moment each day, better than it was the day before. Love is action. Friendship takes time and commitment. Be an active listener. Listen with your whole heart. Be an encourager. Be a student of your friends and over time you will gain their trust and they will open up their heart. My life has been forever changed by a friend who took the time to introduce me to her best friend Jesus. She did not push anything on me. She just offered me an invitation. In a loving and gentle way, she walked me down a path of discovery. By inspiring in me a faith in our creator, she helped me begin to live out my God given purpose with love, passion and freedom.
One of the best investments you can ever make in your life is spending time with friends. True abiding forever friendships offer authentic community, honest accountability, freely offered forgiveness and mutual care, compassion and love without limits. And who knows…maybe someday you will be blessed to have a friend walk alongside you on your faith journey and you will meet my best friend Jesus.
What do you do to nurture your deep abiding friendships? This gathering will be an annual event because we all had a wonderful time together…….
