Nothing among human things has such power to keep our gaze fixed ever more intensely upon God than friendship.

Simone Weil

My family has enjoyed lifetime friendships for generations. I learned about lifetime friendships from a deep and sacred place. Lifetime friendships let you forget it all by laughing. You feel safe with lifetime friends. You can go a long time without talking and start conversation when you connect. You know each other’s stories and finish each other’s sentences. The shared memories form a gentle and fierce bond. They tell you the truth and love you regardless. Love is the heart of it all.

Friends come into our lives for a season, a reason, or a lifetime. Lifetime friendship surrounds and enfolds seasons and reasons.

I have just a few lifetime friends. They are precious, like fine jewels. Having moved a lot over the years, I am particularly grateful for my lifetime friends. I tend to let weeds grow in the garden of my friendships. I could improve at returning calls, sending cards, or visiting. But that doesn’t matter to lifetime friends. My lifetime friends are the children of my parent’s friends with whom I shared childhood, the friends I made during my many years of school, neighbors from places I have lived, and the people with whom I have worked. Taken alone and in total, their brilliance inspires me.

Lifetime friends include both the past and the future. They have been with you where you have been and will be with you where you are going. They are part of the fiber of your mind and body. Ultimately, they remind you what a sweet gift this life is.