The Shelter Of A Friend

The Shelter of a Friend

A real friend sticks closer than a [sister]. Proverbs 18:24

When I started a new school the year after my father died and Mama moved us across town, I met a girl named Mary. She had dark hair, and her blue eyes sparkled with warmth and energy. Mary was in seventh grade, too, and before long we were best friends. God knew I needed a shelter at that time as I dealt with the loss of my father and some turmoil at home. Everything was changing, and Mary’s friendship provided shade and refreshment for my wounded heart. Mary’s parents welcomed me into their circle of love, and she and I made wonderful memories, spending our after-school time in the paddleboat on their lake, playing “Hearts” and “Spades” until midnight at our sleepovers, bicycling around White Rock Lake, and going to ballroom dancing classes together.

That was the only year we went to the same school. In the decades since, we’ve never lived in the same city, but our friendship has held fast as we’ve exchanged countless letters, shared photos and celebrated the milestones of our kids, and sent birthday and Christmas gifts to each other. I’ve learned that the song that says, “Make new friends, but keep the old; one is silver, and the other is gold,” isn’t just something sung in childhood Brownie troops. The words are just as true in our adult years. We need treasured “old” friendships that we can enjoy, cultivate, and appreciate, and we need to keep our hearts open to new ones.

—CHERI

Lord, thank you for the friends you have placed in my life. What a gift they are to me! Help me to treasure my friendships and to be a treasured friend to others.

A loyal friend is like a safe shelter; find one and you have found a treasure.

—UNKNOWN