It’s February already! And as I walk through Walmart, I see hearts and flowers for everyone-your boss, your spouse, your children, your grandma, your good friend, appreciation for those we have in our lives. When choosing greeting cards recently, I began to remember my friends throughout my lifetime. How many friends have I had in a lifetime of 80 plus years? I have had many acquaintances, as I reminisce about “friends”, I realize God has provided just who and what I needed in each stage of my life. Webster defines friend as “one attached to another by affection or esteem”; however, the Bible refers to a real friend as “one who sticks closer than a brother.” (Proverbs 18:24)

In my childhood days my friend lived across the field, and we walked to school together, played together and often spent the night together. As a teenager, I went on to a friend who shared a small, rural high school where we cheered the team, double dated and shared our hopes and dreams for the future. As a young married Army wife, God sent me a wonderful friend to share our trailer-court, Army base experiences, and then I returned home to raise our children and begin our “real” life. A young mother like myself became my friend. Later during my 25 teaching years, my mentor and friend was a fellow teacher until our retirement. And in these retirement years I have found just the friends for the support I need. Through these friendships one has remained since age 14-my husband of 64 years.

I share all of this to remind you that these friends may be for a lifetime or only for shorter periods in our life, but we need other people. When considering my topic for this month, I kept coming back to these verses and how these words speak to all of us particularly here in Sunset Palm. A strand of three-two friends and God is a cord that can’t be broken.

““Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their labor:
If either of them falls down,
one can help the other up.
But pity anyone who falls
and has no one to help them up.
Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

MAY YOU ALL HAVE ONE GOOD FRIEND