What are friends for?
My wife has an amazing group of friends. There are five of them and they grew up together in a small town in the South.
They’ve literally known each other since before elementary school. Two of them had cribs next to each other in the maternity ward of the local hospital.
Every year they get together. When they do, as one of them said, “It’s about us.” Mostly they talk and bask in their friendship.
You may not have friends like that in your life. I don’t. My family moved too often for me to have connections that extend that far back. But if you have friends you have one of the most wonderful resources we know of.
Friends support you. When you’re sick or going through tough times, your friends can provide support of all kinds.
Friends celebrate with you. They multiply your joy when good things happen.
Friends help you stay healthy. People with a strong network of friends are more likely to stay physically and mentally healthy.
Friends reach out for you. When you’re looking for a new job or another kind of opportunity or help, friends connect you to the larger world that is the sum of their networks.
Friends are more important than ever today. For centuries, the tribe or the village or the family was the primary source of all the things that friends can do.
But today those groups aren’t as strong, especially in America. For many people the tribes and villages that supported earlier generations were left behind in the move across the ocean. For others, our highly mobile society has spread their family across the nation and the world.
The best friendships, like the best marriages, are the ones that have lasted long enough to be tested and strengthened by it. But don’t neglect the making of new friends.
Friendships are like trees. The best time to plant one was yesterday. The second best time is today.
