For April 22nd:

“A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” Proverbs 18:24

I am grateful for my friends.  I probably spend way too much time on FaceBook, but it has allowed me to reconnect with childhood friends that live in many different places.  I haven't seen some of these friends in thirty years or more, but the years we spent together as school chums or in church give us a connection that seems like we have never been apart.

This reconnection brought a couple of very special friends back into my life.  We decided to meet once a month for what we call our "stress reduction" luncheon.  We mostly laugh at the events in our lives and count our blessings while discussing the mundane good, bad and ugly that we all go through.  One day, our little session was shocked by the words, "I've found a lump in my breast."  While we encouraged an immediate appointment with a doctor, we prayed that the lump would be nothing.

That lump turned out to be a very aggressive form of cancer.  That friend is going through a rigorous regimend of chemotherapy with expectations of healing.  Even so, it is painful to watch a dear friend suffer through repeated treatments.  Her spirit is amazing and her witness is humbling because she fully trusts her Friend,  Jesus, to be beside her on this journey.

In all my circle of acquaintances, Who better could I introduce to my friends than Jesus, the best friend anyone could have?  I am grateful for all of my friends, both old and new, but I am eternally thankful for my Friend,  Jesus.

Jackie Caruso