My friend down the street just walked up to borrow a cup of brown sugar. We borrowed her pliers last year on Christmas Eve. Isn’t that a small town act of kindness. I love it! And I love my friends!

Real friends are such gifts from God. If your friend loves you, cries with you, and celebrates with you, you can trust their words. Real friends are honest and their opinions matter. Friends uplift us, inspire us, and heal us. My dearest friend and I have been closest friends for almost 45 years. When my daughter was killed in a car wreck, she was the first one I called. She came rushing over, wearing mismatched shoes, a testament to her willingness to rush to my family in our time of crisis. Good friends help us through the grief of losing a loved one and help us persevere through sickness. Good friends are present in good times and bad times.

My dearest friend and I know how to have a good time and laughter is always joyful in our phone calls and visits. We wear matching pajamas when we spend the night with each other. Haven’t talked her into feeted pajamas, yet, though. We compare our “old lady” escapades and find humor in the dumb things we do in our every day lives. We raised our children together and enjoy bragging about our grandchildren. She’s a little younger and part of the working world. I’m retired almost four years and have learned how to contently porch sit the day away. We’ve both buried men we loved, deepening our friendship as we learned how to console each other through our grief.

When she visits she brings her dog Charlie Brown and we sit on the porch all afternoon, weather permitting, moving from one side to the other as the sun warms us and the wind cools us. We watch the birds and the squirrels frolicking on the feeders and drinking from the bird baths. Penelope hogs her lap and Charlie B pouts.

I’m so grateful for her and my many other friends. Since I’ve been writing a blog I feel I’ve made several new friends through their writings and their beautiful photographs. Michelle Obama said, “Friendships between women, as any woman will tell you, are built of a thousand small kindnesses…swapped back and forth and over again.” This is so true. My friends and I have swapped many kindnesses throughout the years.

Friends help us carry our burdens, too. Bible scripture in Galatians says, “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way, you will fulfill the law of Christ.” Always wondered if God had friends. I know Jesus was close to his disciples, especially John. Moses had an intimate relationship with God and was known as God’s friend. Bible scripture in Exodus 33:11 says,“The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend.”

Friends are the rainbows in our lives. They bring sunshine on the darkest days and laughter on the sunny days. A good friend is always there for you when you need them. Even when we’re not struggling we need our friends. I know I’m fortunate that I’ve been blessed with friends and I’m grateful to them for watching over me and caring about me. I hope they feel I do the same for them.

“True friends are never apart, maybe in distance but never in heart,” — Unknown