There are thousands of books on money, business, marriage, child rearing, diet, exercise, cooking, and gardening. Strangely, however, is the relative scarcity of those on the subject of friendship.
A little over a year ago, my bride underwent brain surgery to remove a large tumor. It was physically traumatic, life-threatening, and very scary. Terri emerged from the experience healthy and armed with yet another obvious blessing straight from God. Ordeals such as that demonstrate a lot of things. First, they have a staggering power to realign one's priorities. And secondly, they reveal the real friends in one's life.
There were callers and well-wishers, people sending meals, others sending cards. Several showed up in the waiting room and rode shotgun through the entire day of surgery, some returning the next morning, others staying the night. Terri had a nurse friend assist in the recovery room the first night, and another awaiting her arrival at our house upon her hospital discharge. From the moment she arrived home until several weeks after, Terri received around-the-clock care from an army of girlfriends who had mobilized, scheduled themselves, and swooped onto the scene to nurture, support, administer medication, provide child care, and just "be there."
It was awesome.
It was love in motion.
It was true friendship.
Friendship is hard to define. It has no official commitments like marriage. It has no familial ties like parenthood or relationships with siblings. It carries no consistent definitions. But like great art, while defying description, it is readily identifiable when it is experienced.
Terri's surgery was a reminder to us both of the value of true friendships in our life. We treasure the incredible people God has placed around us, and we pray that we are as good a friend to them as they have been to us.
Friendships should never be taken for granted, as they provide grounding, comfort, companionship, depth, meaning, and enjoyment. During this holiday season give some consideration to the friendships in your life. Nurture them. Invest. Contribute. Serve. Laugh, live, and forge tighter the relationships that truly are one of life's greatest treasures.
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