Life’s true treasures - some new, some old
January 15th, 2008
Last weekend Liz and I enjoyed a couple of days in Oklahoma at a family wedding. Her cousin, Susan Fain, named one of her daughters Elizabeth after my wife. Liz and Susan are dear cousins to one another. Little Lizzy, now a beautiful young woman married Aaron Aldape. We flew out on Thursday and returned Saturday evening. It was a couple of days of family reunion in the midst of wedding furor.
On Friday while the ladies had a bridal lunch I jumped in the car and drove two hours south down on I-44 to Henrietta, Texas. After seminary Liz and I lived there for seven years while I pastored the First Baptist Church. It was a joy to see many old friends around town. One of the men there had arranged for lunch at a local eatery and I met with several men for a meal. Included in the group was the mayor, high school principal, judge, insurance agent, lawyer, several morticians, banker and educator. There are several stories behind each of those relationships. It had been twenty years since I left the town and those ties were still intact. The laughter around the table did me good. Friends are precious treasures in our world. We all need them and must work to keep them.
Today is January 15. Count your friends. Look around you and see if you are being a friend. Remember what was said of Jesus. He was a friend of sinners. If we are not careful we will spend all of our friendship time on people like ourselves.
Be grateful for those who are friends to you. Pick up the phone and reconnect with someone from years gone by.
Pastor Ted Traylor