Friends

Friends are hard to come by.

Real friends are hard to come by.

I'm talking about the kind of friends you can call in the middle of the night when you need some one to talk to, or invite your self over when your house isn't a place you'd like to be. This kind is hard to come by, but I think its our fault that we don't have more of them.

I have been blessed with real friends. Friends I can ask for prayer from, or dump on when I need to get something off my chest. But friends like that are not born, they are made, as the poet rightly said.

I miss the real friends I have, the camaraderie we had during the hectic times and bad days, the pranks we pulled, encouraging notes we would leave for each other... I still have some of those notes.

Going through the hard times draws you so near to those around you. Nearer than if you only see their good side. It opens you up, makes you vulnerable some how.

When we hurt we tend to try to hide it. Why? We have to act like we are strong enough to push through the hard things on our own? None of us are strong enough! We all need someone to lean on, to cry to, some one to encourage us and 'will' us to stay strong to the end, and finally to rejoice with us when we realize our victory.

These are the true friends.

Anyone less is just an acquaintance.

True Friends are few and far between, but when you make (and they are truly made) a true friend you know that person will always be there no matter how long it has been since you've last seen each other or talked on the phone. You know they pray for you as you pray for them, they think about you when they hear 'that song' or burst out laughing when a random occurrence jogs their memory of an inside joke.

To my true friends, thank you! Thank you for being my friends despite, at times, a not so friendly attitude on my part, for teaching me to pray, to listen, for encouraging me to look to the Lord. Thank you for the amazing memories, the good, but even more so, the bad, thank you for being there. Thank you for letting Christ shine through you!

...I miss you!