Being a Friend

The two girls slowly made their way into the surf. My daughter, Hannah, who is usually adventurous and confident, was not eager to get into the gulf waters. She held back, shaking her head and turning away as if to walk back to where I sat under the brightly-colored beach umbrella. Her friend was standing in waist-deep water urging her to come on....

Sarah talked to her; I talked to her, but Hannah still didn't want to commit herself to the ocean's waves. She had seen a clear strip of dots and was worried that jelly fish were nearby. The clear water was cool and inviting, yet still she lingered near shore.

I watched as Sarah walked back to her... their heads bending together in conversation. Finally, Sarah took Hannah's hand and the two of them made their way into deeper water. Side-by-side, one step at a time.

Watching them made me think about friendship. How sometimes we need a friend to encourage us from a distance, giving us advice and supporting our decisions. And how, at other times, we need a friend to help us through rough waters, holding our hand every step of the way.

It seems that friendship is on a few of our minds lately. Peggy also wrote on this topic in her recent post at Middle Age Ramblings.