Being a Forever Friend

When I saw this picture floating around Facebook, I immediately thought of 2 of my "best friends for life" role models.  These girls have been best friends since ... well ... okay, I'll say it ... FOREVER.  And yes, I mean "forever" as in "as forever as it can possibly get here on planet Earth".

I certainly wish I was talking about me and my "best friend" ... I've had a "best friend" at various stages in my life -- 

 high school ... college ... office ... 

return to college (as a "wiser" student) ... teaching ...

And I have reconnected with several of my best friends through Facebook.  My high school best friend and her family were in our vicinity of the world just this past weekend ... and we met for dinner.  We really hadn't "seen" each other and "hung out" for well over 30 years --- and it was AWESOME seeing her again ... and her beautiful family!  As wonderful as it's been to get back in touch with her over social media ... it was even better to see her in person!!!  So many wonderful memories came rolling back in just the couple of hours we all spent at our Outback round table!  And we will be seeing more of each other over the summer ... 

and hopefully after that as well.

However, the importance of friendship was actually modeled for me at a much younger age 

than high school.  I grew up hearing stories of my Mother and her best friend.  Although our family still lived in my Mother's hometown, her best friend had moved away after they had graduated from high school in order to go to college ... and then she moved several states away to be closer to her siblings who had since moved from our hometown as well.

But, as far away as she and my Mother were ... they remained best friends.  No matter what circumstances they went through in their lives -- they have remained best friends for close to 70 years!  

Yes, SEVENTY years ... 

that is truly 

BEST FRIENDS FOREVER

  

 When I think of these 2 friends, this verse always pops in my head ...

A friend LOVES at all times (Proverbs 17:17)  

Sure, true friends can pretty much "tell it like it is" to each other ... but there's one word that I feel is an underlying theme in the whole passage of Proverbs 17 ...

discernment 

true friends know ---

what to say

when to say

how to say

  and they also know 

WHY they are saying

... and by the "why" ---

are they saying it to actually benefit/help their friend 

{or simply to insert their "2 cents worth"}

I will be the first to admit that unfortunately I have not modeled being the "best friend" ... 

sometimes life just takes a turn and priorities may change in the season I'm in ...

sometimes I just simply let time slip by without following-up with friends ...

But no matter what season of life ... and no matter how much time passes by ...

I believe that true friends will always understand and respect the seasons that each other go through.

And these 2 ladies have been the role models through and through ... 

  

When my Daddy had his heart attack this past December, it was actually close to Mother's best friend's birthday.  She and Mother always call each other on their birthdays (and probably about once a month or so), so the lack of phone call sent a red flag.  Day 2 of Daddy's ordeal -- when I took my Mother back home that evening, I asked if she had called her best friend and she said she just hadn't stayed still long enough with all the stress of Daddy's condition.  So, I encouraged her to make the call that evening while she was home.  And she did ... and the first thing her friend said was that had she not heard from Mother in 2 more days, she would have called "Susan" (me) to find out what was going on ... Mother's best friend said she KNEW something wasn't right when my Mother did not call her.  She was so thankful to hear the news that Daddy was doing well and his prognosis ... she did not think twice about the lack of phone call.  She even asked Mother "How are YOU doing through all of this?" ... 

caring and thinking about her best friend was her first concern.

Again, I know that I haven't always been the model of "best friend".  But, each day the focus should be on the One who is truly our Ultimate Best Friend.  Jesus is THE perfect role model of best friend ... He laid down His life & showed us His greatest love by putting His friends (us) before Himself.

And this past weekend, after 30 plus years, it was soooooooooo awesome to see my best friend!  There was never a lull in the conversation around our table ... and it was good to be reconnected face to face.  And I'm looking forward to seeing both her and her sweet family more often -- although we live several hours apart.  Sometimes we all may lose touch with friends and even our very best friends because of the path in life that we each travel ... but when we have friendships that are so real, we will find a way to reconnect -- even if it is through social media.

These were my first "best friends" growing up ... and I still love my cousins!  I'm the blonde who is 2nd from right.