There are some things I just love.  And what better month to tell about them then February, the month of love ~

I love having friends in my life, lots of them, the more the merrier. 

I believe friends are a gift.  Wouldn’t you agree?  They add to the joy of my existence.  They enrich me in a way that is hard to describe. 

My Sweet William and I had dinner with friends one evening awhile back.  Eight of us sat around a table at Outback restaurant.  The talk was as good as the food, the fellowship filled me more than the pork tenderloin and salad.  We laughed, we chatted, we shared information.  I felt better when we parted, my load a little lighter.

I have younger friends, in their 20s, 30s, and 40s who are so busy in careers, marriages, and raising children. I remember those days. These sweet women sometimes seek my advice as if I am a wise woman. Little do they know that any wisdom I have attained has come from perpetually attending the school of hard knocks. I’ve learned so many things from falling down and getting up again.

I have friends who are around my own age. We remember the same songs from our youth, the simple childhood days when a family had one TV, one car, and one bathroom in the house. Our conversations turn to our aches and pains, our adult children, our grandchildren and our aging parents.

I have a few people whom I call my elderly friends. There aren’t many of them left. I find them a source of delight and great understanding. They have lived their lives to the full, have experienced heartache, pain, joy and success. They tell wonderful stories. If I listen well, I can learn a lot.

Friends share my burdens as well as my joys. I can be honest about my struggles and trust that my friends will accept me and love me anyway.

God who created us in His image, made us relational creatures. The gift of friends is one of His blessings to the human race.

The wise man, Solomon was right when he said,

Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work:
If one falls down, his friend can help him up.
But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! (Ecclisiastes 4:9, 10 NIV)

Yes, friends are a gift, making my life richer, better, and overflowing with love.