There is a lot of wisdom in the simple brain of a bear called Pooh.

A little bit of it says, “You comfort me as I do you. Aren’t you glad that we make two?”

The wise man Solomon said, “Two are better than one,” and “It’s better to have a partner than go it alone. . . . And if one falls down, the other helps.”

And I say, isn’t it the truth?

When I am sad and someone shares my burden, it lightens it somehow. And when I am happy and someone is there to celebrate with me, it doubles the blessing.  Isn’t that rather incredible?

Friendships are more of a blessing than houses and lands, better than bank accounts and retirement benefits. They require time to cultivate, like a garden of flowers, but the reaping brings fragrance and beauty and delight.

Friends deserve grace for they grace us with a kind of commitment not found in contracts. They give themselves. They offer who they are. And are we not blessed by their giving?

I treasure my friends. I wonder if they know that? They are the ones with whom I can talk openly, be very honest and real and know they will love me anyway. They listen with their hearts when my words come out jumbled.

When they say they will pray for me, they mean it. They are OK if I cry. They are often the ones throwing out the lifeline that keeps me afloat when the troubled sea threatens to overwhelm me.

I am grateful for them. They are comforting like a cozy blanket on a chilled evening.

Let me be a good friend in return. Let me love lavishly. Let me not be offended easily. Let me forgive quickly and ask for forgiveness even quicker. Let me listen more and talk less. Let me see through the words to the soul. Let me pray when I promise I will.

Let me be as good a friend as you are to me.