Posts Tagged ‘Unconditional Love’
In Celebration of Friendship
When my good buddy, Bob, went to the Emergency Department three days ago and they admitted him to the hospital for observation and to run some tests, I was concerned. At 73, Bob’s as tough and hardy as they come and he does more in your average day than most men half his age. But over the course of the last week, he’s had some symptoms that could signal a small stroke.
The doctors ran their tests and put him on a blood thinner. And then today, to the sky-high joy of everybody who knows him, they gave Bob the “all clear,” and turned him loose. He’s in darned good shape for his age, they say, and needs to do nothing more than take a daily aspirin.
Tonight my phone rang. “You need anything from the store?” Bob asked. I told him that I didn’t need a thing, but that I was sure grateful for the firewood he brought me over the weekend because my furnace wouldn’t light and with the outdoor temperature in the single digits, the fire in my woodstove was welcome indeed. “I’ll be there in two minutes,” Bob said and hung up.
Sure enough, two minutes later, he showed up with a couple wrenches in hand. And within half an hour, my furnace was pumping out heat. But even better than the warmth his skilled tinkering brought to my house was the warmth that seeing him brought to my heart.
Friends matter. Every last one of them is a unique and irreplaceable gift.
They bring us laughter and encouragement; comfort and support. No matter how dark the road, or how heavy a burden we may be carrying, our friends bright us light and lighten our loads.
They come to us with listening ears, helping hands, rolled up sleeves and honest advice. They see us for who we are, appreciating the good and overlooking the bad, and love us anyway, in all our moods, through all our trials and celebrations. And for all they give us, they ask nothing but our company in return, and a simple “Thanks!”
They teach us the real meaning of unconditional love—both the giving and the receiving of it. And there is no higher lesson.
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