person whom one knows, likes, and trusts." That's the #1 definition.
It's such an important word and such an important person or persons to
have in one's life! How do we get along without our friends? Who else
can we talk to heart-to-heart? Someone we trust, of course, and that fits
the definition. Friends can be spouses,family members, grade school pals
who haven't moved away, sorority or fraternity brothers, neighbors,
coworkers, church members, someone you met on a cruise or at a dinner
party or even waiting in a doctor's office. Someone you haven't even seen
for years yet when you meet, you start right in; trust bridges the long
absence from one another. I remember my Mom mourning the death of friends
as she entered her 80s. She didn't like losing those confidantes, those
bridge and golf partners, those morning coffee and lunch-bunch pals. Who
could blame her?
I have a cherished friend who lives in Philadelphia. I haven't seen her
for years, yet in my mind I know she is there with the same crazy humor,
wisdom, and solid advice that she has always had. I need to call her.
Somebody wrote that great song, "I Get By With a Little Help from My
Friends". It becomes more relevant and truer the older I get! When we're
young and life seems endless and full of possibilities, we have many
friends, some for movie-watching, some for baseball playing, some for
shopping, some for exchanging children to babysit, some for traveling
with, some for book clubs, some to play cards with, and so on. Sometimes
we don't appreciate them all, but then life is so full and full of
risks and faith in time - surely it will last forever - that there really
isn't time to nurture friendships! Surely these pals will be with us
forever. And that is particularly true if your great friend is your
spouse. What heartache is in this loving.
Aging was defined by the Father of Gerontology (the study of aging) Nathan
Shock, M.D. as "the diminishing of reserve capacity". That is an
amazingly accurate and succinct definition. It is referring to the body,
the physicality of a person. We all know the truth of that. We know we
can't run like we did at 10 or swim laps like we did at 20 or walk for
miles at 30. We just can't. We don't have the lung capacity, the leg
muscles, the very heedlessness that had us flying through life while
young. Well,we can expand the meaning of this word and its definition to
friends. Friends die or move or change and our circle of
friends is diminished. Some of them are no longer part of our reserve of
people to call on. Our world is drawing in.
Let us appreciate what we have. Let us thank God for the gift of friends.
Obviously, God knew we all need friends: Jesus chose 12, even though one
turned out to be a bad choice. Haven't we done the same?Trusted someone
we later learned we shouldn't have? Jesus traveled with His friends, He
talked with them, He broke bread with them.
Disappointing as they were in the Garden of Gethsemane they loved Him.
And how Peter denied Him three times - snubbed Jesus - can you imagine???
Yes, of course you can. In other words, Jesus lived to be only 33, yet
in many important ways He experienced what we experience as we get older
and older. His world drew in too.
And then? The mindblowing gift of grace. Jesus rose from the dead (don't
you wonder what it was like for him among the dead?) promising us by His
very presence in life again that we too would have eternal life and with
Him! Truly,this is the best news ever. The richest person on this earth
is one who has friends here and eternal life with Jesus to look forward
to. Hallelujah! God is good!Thanks be to God!
Judy Bergeson
Diaconal Minister
Salem Lutheran
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