Today I want to discuss a subject that I have come to appreciate more in the last week. I want to talk about friendship. Before I get to my Opinion for this blog, I need to back up a little.
Not that long ago, a good friend of mine, A, went home to be with the Lord after a long fight with cancer. Now A and I stayed in touch over the years but we didn't stay as close as we were growing up. I met A when I was in the 7th grade and we are both 41 (A is very much alive, he just went to a place called Heaven). I still have fond memories of playing football. A played center and if I remember correctly, he was a starter on the 1st team (or A team) when we were in middle school. We are a lot alike. I can still see him wearing his 3/4 top Nike Monster cleats when we played ball. Later we called him "Hair" because when we were in high school he had long hair.
I also have very fond memories of us playing hide and go seek when we were in middle school with a whole group of kids from our neighborhood. When we played, our boundaries were several blocks in every direction and we had a lot of fun. Now A wasn't the only kid I hung out with. There was B. He was the high school baseball stud pitcher when we were in school and interestingly enough, he was also very smart. For a while B and I were best friends and we were inseparable.
There were other kids in the neighborhood too - B and his little brother A, B and his little brother C and several others. For the sake of time I will stop right there except to say that B and I went to see my friend A the other day. It was a very hard time for both of us.
Now let me fast forward to watching my own kids. Over the last week, I had the opportunity to watch my kids pretty closely and one thing I noticed was that a couple of them were not very well adjusted to playing with other kids. Why? Well, one answer is that they don't have very many kids around them to play with. That small fact - having kids around to play with - was something I realized was a true blessing in my life and also something that I see missing in my kids lives. I learned a lot last week. I can't say it was an easy week but it was certainly rewarding.
So let me leave you with the two things I learned from this past week. First of all, kids need to be around other kids. So parents please find ways to help your kids socialize. Second of all, grew to really appreciate all the great kids I grew up with. A, you will be missed. I love you and even though we didn't stay as close as either of us would like, I miss you. Let me leave you with this - Appreciate your friends. They are truly a gift from God.
That's another Opinion of the Minion
Not that long ago, a good friend of mine, A, went home to be with the Lord after a long fight with cancer. Now A and I stayed in touch over the years but we didn't stay as close as we were growing up. I met A when I was in the 7th grade and we are both 41 (A is very much alive, he just went to a place called Heaven). I still have fond memories of playing football. A played center and if I remember correctly, he was a starter on the 1st team (or A team) when we were in middle school. We are a lot alike. I can still see him wearing his 3/4 top Nike Monster cleats when we played ball. Later we called him "Hair" because when we were in high school he had long hair.
I also have very fond memories of us playing hide and go seek when we were in middle school with a whole group of kids from our neighborhood. When we played, our boundaries were several blocks in every direction and we had a lot of fun. Now A wasn't the only kid I hung out with. There was B. He was the high school baseball stud pitcher when we were in school and interestingly enough, he was also very smart. For a while B and I were best friends and we were inseparable.
There were other kids in the neighborhood too - B and his little brother A, B and his little brother C and several others. For the sake of time I will stop right there except to say that B and I went to see my friend A the other day. It was a very hard time for both of us.
Now let me fast forward to watching my own kids. Over the last week, I had the opportunity to watch my kids pretty closely and one thing I noticed was that a couple of them were not very well adjusted to playing with other kids. Why? Well, one answer is that they don't have very many kids around them to play with. That small fact - having kids around to play with - was something I realized was a true blessing in my life and also something that I see missing in my kids lives. I learned a lot last week. I can't say it was an easy week but it was certainly rewarding.
So let me leave you with the two things I learned from this past week. First of all, kids need to be around other kids. So parents please find ways to help your kids socialize. Second of all, grew to really appreciate all the great kids I grew up with. A, you will be missed. I love you and even though we didn't stay as close as either of us would like, I miss you. Let me leave you with this - Appreciate your friends. They are truly a gift from God.
That's another Opinion of the Minion
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