I was always afraid of water.  When I was in the eight grade, one of my classmates drowned in Grand River.  (After  they built the dam, it was renamed Grand Lake.)  As a result of my fear, I didn't learn to swim for a long time.  I loved to dive--my maiden name was "Swan"-- and I perfected a swan dive.  Problem was, there I was out in the deep end--pretty much up a creek without a paddle. 

But my best friend at the time--we were in the ninth grade--was a really good swimmer.  And when I would dive into the water, she would pull me out.  I knew she wouldn't let me drown.  I trusted her.  So she and I would go with our friends to the pool and I would spend the day diving, and being pulled out of the water by my friend Betsy.

But because there was someone there to trust, a strange thing happened.  I wasn't afraid because I knew my friend would be there for me.  I began to dog paddle without even knowing what that was.  I learned to keep my head above water until Betsy got there.  And little by little, I learned to swim.

It is a good thing to have people around you that you can trust.  They are few and far between.  My friend Betsy is gone now.  She had Parkinson's disease and spent the last years of her life with very limited abilities. She suffered, but never once did I hear her complain.  Every Saturday, I would go get her, and her walker, and we would go to the garage sales.  She loved to do that.  There came a point when she couldn't get up the stairs in the house where she was living.  So we found a house on one level, hired a carpenter, and knocked out some walls that interfered with her mobility.  She was a trooper.  I miss her.  True friends are one of life's greatest blessings.   I miss all my friends in Pryor.  But I am making new ones here.  My greatest loss since moving is losing my credibility.  You don't think about things like that until they are gone.  Over time, people here will get to know me, but it will never be the same.  It takes years to build your reputation.  And friends.

"A friend loveth at all times..."  Proverbs 17:17
"A person that has friends must show himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticks closer than a brother.  (Jesus)"  Proverbs 18: