40-cent Friendship

Ten years did little to change three girlfriends. We all looked the same as we did when we were in college; same weight, same hair length, same style. Still, we had the same personalities (though all of us have matured a tiny bit).

I think upon what it means to be a friend. There are seasons where circumstances bring strangers together so that they can learn and be challenged and accepted; the crucibles of life. They are the forces that cause people to bond under pressure and proximity. Then one day, those forces are lifted and people drift apart. Is friendship all about the crucibles? If it were, could it really have been a friendship? I ponder.

These two precious girlfriends listened to me say out loud: "I so much hate that 3-to-4-year stint of people coming and then going out of life, that I am determined to never be like that to anyone else." What I said aloud received nods, but those nods were backed up by a complete lifestyle. There was a particular moment when I was trying to purchase a light rail pass in Maryland and the machine took two dollars whole as punishment for not having exact change. I muttered out loud about the rip-off. A minute later, one of these two girls was sticking forty cents into my coat pocket.

"What are you doing?" I asked confused.
"Well, I felt bad that the machine took your refund," she replied.

I was stunned.

Her love is obvious. She has compassion on me. Her friendship is true, and it didn't matter that we don't have so much in common anymore, that we are parted by lifestyle and distance and other friendships closer to home. She loves me. She would give her heart for mine in an instant. And I know it. And it makes all the difference in the world.

I am thankful for those seasons where people get close even though it may eventually end. However, I'll treasure this forty-cent friendship for a lifetime, as it comes and goes through all the years of my life.