OLD FRIENDS

Every so often I cannot think of anything to write on.  Absolutely blank!  (No comment on my mind being blank allowed.)  Bill was sitting there so I asked him and his reply was OLD FRIENDS.

One of his favorite songs is Willie Nelson’s OLD FRIENDS.  “Old Friends, Lord, when all my work is done, Bless my life, grant me one, Old Friend, Just one Old Friend.”

OLD FRIENDS

What do you see when you look at this picture?  Most likely, you see silly pictures.

What does Bill see?  MEMORIES!

Eugene and Bill have been friends since – a very long time.  They were in school together and they both love farming.  They were not born with silver spoons.  They were born with quirks in their DNA that have given them the ability to farm all night, to know every weed in the northern hemisphere, to run a few strides faster than a bull, and eyes that can see how crooked the neighbor’s rows are while driving on a country road at night.  This DNA quirk has also given them a love for the land and livestock.

Eugene’s wife and I both attended the same high school and, although we knew each other, we were not friends.  Until I married Bill and Brenda married Eugene.  We became friends.  Eugene and Bill say no girls at their high school would have them.  Brenda and I say they had to come to the “town” school to find a couple of girls worth having.

What does Bill see?  MEMORIES!

A friendship can begin anywhere.  Even in a fruit market.  Terry entered our lives.  Terry and Jan entered our lives.  If you think Bill and I have different personalities, you should meet our friends.  But that is another story.  Terry had grown up on a farm and that gave them a starting point.  That starting point soon turned to hunting.  Quail hunting to be exact.

Where we grew up there were a lot of old strip mines and the banks of those old mines were the perfect place for quail.  Let the hunting begin.  The hunting continued and expanded to include hunting in more distant locations.  They would leave.  Hunt.  Enjoy their time.  Come home.  I would freeze the quail and never mention how much a pound the quail cost.  Quail are very small.

BLESS MY LIFE, GRANT ME ONE, OLD FRIEND

How important is a friend?  Especially an old friend?

Proverbs 17:17 first part:  A friend loves at all times.  ALL TIMES!  A friend loves even when you do not see each other for a month, a year or even a few years.  A friend loves when you are grouchy or sad or grieving or happy or joyous.  A friend celebrates with you and a friend allows you to cry.

Proverbs 27:9 – Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart, and the pleasantness of a friend springs from their heartfelt advice.  When I ask Bill what a friend meant to him, he said, “You can share everything.  You can ask personal questions.”  A friend will listen, allow you to ask questions, and give heartfelt advice.  Heartfelt advice that comes from years of knowing things about you that no one else knows.  They know because they are trustworthy.

FRIENDS

I have noticed one thing about friends – true friends.  They do not go away!  When you talk and talk about your problems, they listen.  When you are seriously ill, they care, pray and do all they can.  When life is wonderful, they celebrate with you.  My goodness, even when you are absent from their lives for a period of time, they just take up where they left off.  True friends – they never go away!  Bless their hearts!