My thirteen year old daughter is at the letter writing stage where you sign your name and then write B.F.F. For those out of this stage allow me to interpret. It means Best Friends Forever. Of course at thirteen you sign every letter to everyone B.F.F. Well, now the big joke around our house is calling each other B.F.F. so my five year old wrote a letter to one of my friends that moved away and he signed it, Love Caleb - B.F.F. This really got me thinking about friendship. Today someone read a little adage that stated, "A best friend is like a four leaf clover - hard to find and lucky to keep." I have been very blessed in the area of friendship. I actually started looking back over the years to all the places we've been and the friendships I have developed in different states. I noticed a pattern. In one town we lived in I became friends with a mom of then two kids. A few months later she moved to Ohio. The next town I took a mom up on her offer of showing me around when I arrived and we hit it off. A year later she moved to Missouri. Presently, the mailman delivered our mail to a neighbor who brought it by and we were attached at the hip ever since. She recently moved to Tennessee. I guess once I get a friend either a) she runs from me or b) God uses our friendship to fuel a future life changing experience. Perhaps I can relate to everyone moving away since we have moved nine times in eleven years.

Sometimes I get sad thinking about the friends that I don't get to see on an everyday basis anymore. Let's face it, God created us for relationships, but sometimes it sure would be less painful if we ran off to the hills and lived like the monks with no interaction and a vow of silence. That's not my real life and I'm sure it's not yours. In light of this I realize that my kids are learning how to form friendships by watching me interact. I have seen women who spend time gossiping so what do their kids learn? You got it, when women get together they gossip. I have also seen women who have no friendships but rather choose to go it alone. Perhaps that's a defense mechanism, but it's not necessarily God's intention for growth. I am glad my kids see me praying with friends, laughing until my sides ache, and stopping on a moments notice if the need is dire.

Where are you in your friendship relationships? Where are your kids and where do you want them to be? Of course we all know that bad company corrupts good character but I'm talking about taking friendship to a deeper level. It's a level of intimacy that few actually experience in their lives. I'm sad to say I've seen people pass and those around them say, "We barely knew them because they didn't let us inside." I hope to keep building friendships by being a friend. If you need a friend let me know. Of course, you have been forewarned to have your boxes and packing tape handy.