Gold and Silver

Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the other's gold. Can you sing it? If you were in Brownies or Girl Scouts I am sure you know this by heart. Even if you haven't thought about it in years, it just came flooding back to your mind. Friends are like precious metal. They don't lose their value and they last forever. Even when we don't see each other for some time, when you are with a "golden friend" it's as though you have never been apart. Conversations are easy and hugs, tears and laughter are plentiful. I have been really blessed to have such friends in life.

It's true, life takes us in different directions. If you are blessed enough to have grown up in the same place and go to the same school all your childhood, give thanks. I was blessed with that stability. Because of that, I had the opportunity to develop some great friendships. One I will cherish forever is with Naomi. I've talked about her before. When we reunited at our 20 yr reunion, the embrace was so strong and the connection was as though we had never been apart. We laughed like we did years ago. The tears were many as we tried to convey to each other and our husbands just how much we meant to each other. We could have talked all night. In fact, when we literally closed the establishment down, very late into the night, we continued with text messaging as we were pulled off into opposite directions to go home. Time will go by again that we won't talk, we know that. But I guarantee because our friendship is real and rooted in years and strength, it won't be broken. Her value, like gold, has increased over time!

When I was five years old my Grandma took me and my older cousins to church camp in Vassar, Michigan. I have a lot of memories  (most of which I will leave for another blog). I remember we initially stayed in the dorm, where across the hall was a family that consisted of a Mr and Mrs, two older daughters and a son. A boy who was my age! I remember one morning that boy, no doubt at his mom's insistence, knocked on our door and asked if I was ready to go to class. We walked to class together every day that week. We had no idea the gold that was being developed at that time.

Every year I had the BEST two weeks of summer at that camp. One week was kids camp WITHOUT parents and one week as family camp. As we got older, that kids camp turned into teen camp. I made some great friends some of whom I still know today. One particularly hot and humid year at teen camp in July of 1988 or 89, I was waiting in line for a shower after a long day outside. The girl, whom I didn't know,standing  in front of me was talking about how hot she was. We engaged in small talk about the wait and the heat. The next thing I remember is her body went limp and she buckled falling backwards onto ME! She fell with her dead weight back onto an innocent victim I tell you, INNOCENT!! What did I do? Well I did what any normal unsuspecting teenage girl whose hands were full because she was waiting for a shower would do, I dropped her, of course. I dropped her and her head smacked the cement floor. I freaked out naturally, and high-tailed it right back to my room. Clearly, I didn't really need a shower that day. Later, I had heard her little sister say that she was taken to the hospital.  I had no idea what happened to her that year. Fast forward to the next year.

Said "boy" from above and I, along with another girl were sitting on top of the merry-go-round on the playground. She and I didn't know each other but she knew the boy. We were talking and laughing and telling stories. Then suddenly the girl started to tell the story of how she was hurt the year before and missed some of camp. See hadn't eaten much that week, and most likely was dehydrated and it was hot. She was waiting in line for a shower when she ...wait for it...fainted. That's right.. she fainted!!! ON TOP of ME!!! I said, "Wait a minute, that was you?"  Who knew (God knew) that when she passed out on me that year, gold was forming.

That girl was put in my life for so many reasons. Her friendship literally changed the direction of my life. She talked me into changing college plans and attending Indiana Wesleyan University and rooming with her. From the summer of 1990 through 1993 we were inseparable. Life moved us into different locations, but Lisa was and always will be precious gold to me.

God has such a funny way of weaving our lives together. When I was going through one of the most (hard to say which has been "the most") difficult times of my life. I had no idea who I was going to be able to turn to. Who knew that the rock and friend I would lean on for support and sanity was that "boy" whom I met when we were just five years old at that campground. Chad and I had grown up together with years of layers to our friendship, which was real and valuable beyond measure. I had been there for him in his time of need in the past and he immediately stepped up to the plate when I, in turn, needed him. So many people had tried to speculate and distort the nature of our friendship. But the reality was.. it always has been as pure as perfect gold. Some people can't fathom how a guy and a girl can be platonic friends. He and I have always been and always will be living proof that it is possible.

 Gold and silver are elements that can not be created by man, but instead were created and formed in the earth by God alone... just as are these type of friendships. A Poet once said friendships are either for a Reason, Season or Lifetime.  It's true. Every friendship whether meant to be a lifetime relationship or not, are meaningful. These friendships will always be like gold to me, precious, valuable, created by God and  formed in my life for a Lifetime.