Wednesday Wisdom - Sturdy Walls and Solid Friends

STURDY WALLS AND SOLID FRIENDS         

     

   

""We'll be friends forever, won't we, Pooh?" asked Piglet.

"Even longer," Pooh answered."

A. A. Milne, Winnie The Pooh   

  

     

  

A well-built home requires only a minimum amount of maintenance. Our home in Harmony is officially 10 years old this month. I inspected the exterior this weekend in preparation for hurricane season. All I found were a few hair-line cracks in the stucco, which I easily fixed with a little caulk and paint.

A quality friendship requires only a minimum amount of maintenance. Clay, my college roommate, and I became fast friends 44 years ago this month. I called him this weekend just to say hello and catch up on the news. Even though we don't see each other very often because we live 2,346 miles apart, after 15 seconds it was as if we had been together only the day before.

As sturdy as they are, stucco walls shouldn't be taken for granted. A little attention from time to time will keep those hair-line cracks from getting bigger and will keep the rain at bay.

The same is true for certain relationships. A "just-to-chat" phone call every now and then will assure that the friendship stays solid. A strong friendship doesn't need daily conversation or being together. As long as the relationship lives in the heart, true friends never part.

I believe friendships are lasting, and the same sociality that we enjoy here will be enjoyed in the hereafter. Quality friends are a treasure beyond measure. Sharing life with them is a source of great joy to me. Love is eternal.

I hope all of you have a friend in your life like Clay. He fully meets Shakespeare's definition: "A friend is one that knows you as you are, understands where you have been, accepts what you have become, and still, gently allows you to grow." Thanks, Clay, for 44 wonderful years of brick-wall-strong friendship.