A dear friend of mine has been visiting with me for a few days from Central Florida.  Today, she goes back home and we must say "goodbye."  This is a friend who has always kept me laughing at myself and who has helped me to keep my feet on the ground when my mind has wandered too far from "what is."  I am thankful for her presence in my life and the words we share between us, the ones with which I agree and, even more so, the ones with which I do not agree.  To me, that is a good friend.

We had a conversation this week in which she asserted that, in terms of quality of friendship, she has received more from me than I have received from her, and in which I asserted the opposite.  She listed all of the examples of things from our friendship that have enriched her life and, likewise, I listed all of the ways in which my life has been better because of her presence in it.  Ultimately, we had to agree to disagree on this point.  The level of appreciation for one another is quite high and it shows in all that we continue to do together after 24 years of friendship.  Today, as I say "goodbye" to her, I take solace in the knowledge that she will always think I have added to her life in some way that is comparable to the way in which she has added to mine.  She is a good friend and I am very thankful for her.