“The shifts of fortune test the reliability of friends.” – Marcus Tullius Cicero
I remember being separated from Elleigh by Sunday school teachers during ‘story time’ because we caused too much ruckus. We were only 7 or 8 at the time, with no idea that our friendship would outlast so many others. Years past and despite living in different cities, states, and countries alongside navigating completely different seasons of life at different times, we somehow managed to hang on.
I’ve learned that the friendships that last are the ones committed to relearning the other without growing weary of the effort and task that it is. They give each other the freedom to change, fail, succeed, grieve, and rejoice, but most importantly- they trust.
In a year where ‘the shifts of fortune’ tested ‘the reliability of friends’ I’m grateful for the ones near and far who continue to navigate life with me, trusting that no matter where life takes us, or how close we might be from one season to the next, the friendship remains honest and true.
Benedikt and I met Elleigh, her husband Joshua, and blue-eyed baby WC halfway between Texas and Alabama on spunky New Orleans grounds back in November. They met my husband for the first time, and us their blue-eyed baby.
We’re different people now, we continue to change, we don’t always agree, but when your friendship meets the tests of shifting fortunes and remains, there’s a sweetness to it that can’t be beat.
“A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” – Provers 17:17
