The Gift of Real Friends

Summertime brings occasions to celebrate true friends.  We recently enjoyed a long lunchtime with our friends of 40 years--Nancy and Rick Boyd.  What a good time it was, getting updates on our kids who grew up together and how perfect they are!  And of course tales of the grandkids, all of whom carry forth the legacy of perfection. Over the years our families have been together during baptisms, graduations, weddings, funerals, big celebrations and  quiet times together. Our times with long-time friends like the Boyds, Browns, and Graessers bring to mind and heart the gift of authentic friendship.

Authentic friendship is in contrast to today's number games regarding Facebook friends.  An article in Forbes by Amit Chowdry cites a study that says most of your Facebook friends are not real friends.   The study by Oxford University psychology professor Robin Dunbar. Chowdry states Dunbar studied 3,375 Facebook users between the ages of 18 and 65 in the UK.  These users had an average of 150 friends, of which 4.1 were dependable and 13.6 expressed sympathy during an emotional crisis.  The study states that younger users are likely to have more Facebook friends but older users tend to have more friends in real life.

This is not to disrespect Facebook friends, and there are many advantages to maintaining a network of social media contacts, but not to the exclusion of real friends who are true companions on our journey, a gift that becomes more valuable with each passing year.

As journalist Jon Katz stares, "Friends are part of the glue that holds life and faith together.  Powerful Stuff."

We came away from lunch realizing how important it is to nurture, celebrate, and give time to our real friends.