Forever Friends

Several months ago I received an e-mail from one
of those friends that you know you'll have forever.
She wrote to tell me that her father was going to
soon celebrate his 80th birthday. Sometimes we
go months and don't get to see or talk to each
other. And yet, when we do see each other, it's
as though we last talked the day before. Her
father was one of those people that made you
want to live a better life. He was the pastor
at the Marion Baptist Church for several years,
but he was like a father to me. They welcomed
me into their lives and changed how I thought
a real home and family life should be. I sent
her Dad a birthday card with a note of some of
my fondest memories. I will forever treasure
the letter I received back from him. It reminded
me of one of Steve Goodier's Life Support Messages.
I looked it up (Who's Your Best Friend) and here
is part of his post.

"And do you know who your best friend is? Automaker
Henry Ford was having lunch with a man, when he
suddenly asked the man that very question. "Who is
your best friend?" Ford asked. The man hesitated and
Ford went on. "I'll tell you who your best friend is,"
he said. Then he wrote this sentence for the man to
read: "Your best friend is he who brings out the best
that is within you." Our best friends are those who do
more than simply like us. They also believe in us.
They support us but, occasionally, they nudge us as
well.Someone put it well: "A friend is someone who
knows you as you are, understands where you've been,
accepts who you've become, and still, gently invites
you to grow.

"Now...who is your best friend?