Who's Your Best Friend?

Yesterday I was looking through a journal that Jeff and I pass back and forth, writing answers to leading questions that help us to get to know each other better. One of the questions had to do with friendship: who are your three best friends? and why? It was interesting to see what I had written (basically, that Jeff was my very best friend, my mom was my second best friend, and third place was occupied by a number of women who each fulfilled different roles in my life); and then today as I stumbled across this piece of writing (not mine) that I had saved in a "Stories" folder, it made a lot of sense to me all over again...

20 Minutes or 20 Years
When I was little, I used to believe in the concept of one best friend, but then I started to become a woman. And then I found out that if you allow your heart to open up, God would show you the best in many friends.
One friend's best is needed when you're going through things with your children. Another friend's best is needed when you're going through things with your mother. Another when you’re going through things with your spouse. Another when you want to shop, share, heal, hurt, joke, or just be.
One friend will say let's pray together, another let's cry together, another let's fight together, another let's walk away together. One friend will meet your spiritual need; another, your shoe fetish; another, your love for movies. Another will be with you in your season of confusion; another will be your clarifier; another, the wind beneath your wings.
But whatever their assignment in your life, on whatever the occasion, on whatever the day, or wherever you need them to meet you...with their gym shoes on and hair pulled back or to hold you back from making a complete fool of yourself...those are your friends.
It may all be wrapped up in one friend, but for many, it's wrapped up in several ... one from 7th grade, several from high school, several from the college years, a couple from old jobs, several from church, on some days your mother, on others your sisters, and on some days it's the one that you needed just for that day or week ... that you needed someone with a fresh perspective, or the one who didn't know all your baggage, or the one who would just listen without judging....those are good best friends.
I thank my friends, those who honor intimacy, those who hold trust, and those who hold me up when life is just too heavy. The special bond we share is unique. Thanks for the words we've shared....the prayers we've sent up. The laughs, the tears, the phone calls, the emails, the shopping, the movies, the lunches, the dinners, the talking, talking, talking and the listening, listening, listening.
So whether you've been there 20 minutes or 20 years, I appreciate you!