On friendship

There is something about old friends. . . the ones who befriended you as you were, love you as you are, and encourage you to become more. And there is also a playfulness with old friends. They seem to bring out silliness in me that sometimes others don't see. Maybe that's because they knew me back when I was more carefree, and all we had to do was study, jump on the trampoline, throw water balloons from our roof top at visitors, and talk. We talked until the wee hours of the morning about everything and nothing at all. It was the combination of the two that was so great--going from deep discussions on theology and God's plan for our lives to prank wars and boyfriends. It is truly a blessing to have good friends. I am encouraged and inspired by the friendships that have sustained me for many years, and the new friendships that are developing and growing at this phase in my life. I am thankful for both! I love this thought by C.S. Lewis on friendship--
"But in friendship, we think we have chosen our peers. In reality, a few years differences in the dates of our birth, a few more miles between certain houses, the choice of one university instead of another, posting to different regiments, the accident of a topic being raised or not raised at a first meeting. . . any of these changes might have kept us apart. But, for a Chrisitian, there are strictly speaking, no chances. A secret Master of Ceremonies has been at work, Christ, who said to the disciples, "You have not chosen me but I have chosen you," can truly say to every group of Christian friends, "You have not chosen one another, but I have chosen you for one another."

I am thankful that there are no chances with friendships--I am truly blessed by the friends God has chosen for me.