Friendship Friday!

Thank God for Friendship!!

God created us to be in relationships with others 

and with Him.

 We visited our friends Gordon and Lynn this last week in Paso Robles.

Here is Gordon while we visited Cayucos Beach.

This is Lynn, his wife and I.

We have know Gordon and Lynn for about 10 years. 

We lived next door to them for about 4 years and became good friends.

Their children are about my age 

and 

their grandchildren are about the same age as my children.

When we first moved next door to them,

Gordon wasn't the most approachable.

He'd sit in his garage, with a cigarette and a cup of coffee and 
watch the neighbors come and go.

One day, as my little ones got out of the car, they ran over to him as he was sitting there.

I thought, "Uh oh- gulp".
I wasn't quite ready to meet our new neighbor.

As I approached his garage, with my kids playing with anything they could find in there, 

he got up from his chair and walked into the house.

"Come on, you guys", 

I said to the kids, so we could get out of there before he was angered or upset.

But before I could gather the two little ones,

Gordon walked out with one hand in a fist.

He wasn't smiling, 
but I was.

(nervously)

"Oh my gosh. Am I in trouble!",

I thought.

He came closer and opened his large hand towards me

and in it...

were 4 gummy bears!

He asked me if he could give them to the kids 

and

we have been great friends ever since.

I speak on "Friendship"occasionally, and I talk about Gordon and Lynn,

but mostly Gordon.

It would have been easy to keep waving and walking,

never stopping to chat,

engage,

or

exchange a word of two,

as

that's what most of us do.

What would a 60-something, retired, wood-floor-laying man

want

with a

30-something, retired-teacher, new-mom-of-two?

Friendship!

We LOVE this couple and their families 

and make an effort to visit them every year.

They have shared their wisdom, guidance, support, love, honesty, 

fun & a lot of laughs!

Proverbs 17:17 

A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity. (NIV)

It would have been easy for me to have not risked 

and

kept my distance, 

but I am 

SO GLAD

that I didn't.

I count each one of my friendships as blessings-
every single one of them.

What about you?

Is there a friendship in your life that came as a surprise to you?

Have a FUNtastic Friday!

"