A "GOLD" FRIEND

There is a line in a poem I like. It goes like this .....

"Make new friends, but keep the old,
Those are silver, these are gold."
I got to spend some time with one of my "Gold Friends" this week. (Read carefully .....it's GOLD not OLD!)

Here we are enjoying our time together. We were both attending the Workers and Elders Conference in Raleigh, NC.

We met years ago at Story Book Lodge Christian Camp where our children were campers together, she and I were staff workers and her husband, John, was the speaker.

Our time together has always been quite limited --
But our lives have become quite intertwined!
And I am so blest and thankful that she is my friend.

Our children grew up at the same time. Their dad's were spiritual leaders in their homes and their assemblies. They had to share their dads and we would often talk about the joy and sometimes difficulties in that. We would sit out in a paddle boat on Cedar Island Lake at Story Book and share our hearts about child training, about how to be a godly helpmate, about how to impart Biblical principals to our kids and we would talk about the kind of mates we desired for our children. We had kindred hearts about so many things ~~ but mostly ~~ we ourselves wanted to be pleasing to the LORD and we wanted our children to love and honor Him in their lives.


When our oldest son knew he would marry a girl from 'down South', named Lois, John and Bobbie had known her since she was a child.

When the Hellers' were called to plant a new assembly in Little Rock, AK, we traveled down to encourage them. We traveled back and forth to our kids' weddings.

And we are now related! Kind-of! Their daughter, Sarah, married our daughter in law, Katie's brother!!

We still talk about our kids, about how our rolls in marriage have changed, about how we 'mother' our grown children and now we talk about our

GRANDCHILDREN

and how we can influence and help our kids in their monumental task of raising Godly children.

When we showed up in Raleigh....

We even

Had

Matching

Shoes!!

A true sign of a kindred spirit .....

A " bosom friend". (As Anne of Green Gables would say.)

Thanks, Bobbie for being a Golden Friend. I love it that when we get together we can, in only seconds, pick up just where we left off. Looking forward to next time!!

ps: I love my "silver" friends too !!

Here is the poem I quoted from above.

SILVER AND GOLD
Joseph Parry

Make new friends, but keep the old;
Those are silver, these are gold.
New-made friendships, like new wine,
Age will mellow and refine.
Friendships that have stood the test-
Time and change-are surely best;
Brow may wrinkle, hair grow gray;
Friendship never knows decay.
For 'mid old friends, tried and true,
Once more we our youth renew.
But old friends, alas! may die;
New friends must their place supply.
Cherish friendship in your breast-
New is good, but old is best;
Make new friends, but keep the old;
Those are silver, these are gold.