The line “Friends are friends forever” comes from an old song by Michael W. Smith! I know it well; it was played at every changeover onboard the Logos II, OM Ship Ministry. Back then, the commitment to serve on board was for at least a year—and often two. You got to know people, and some became friends for life. I’m blessed to have them.
Real friendship is a powerful force.
Some friends are there for your whole life. They know you well enough to tell you hard truths, and they are also a constant source of love.
Friendship crosses boundaries and cultures. I’m blessed to have friends from my childhood, youth and adulthood, and from many places.
They are there when you are up or down, when you are experiencing the greatest joy or enduring deep pain. There is something unconditional about true friendship.
Lasting friends are hard to find, but when you do, they are precious.
My son Keith was laid to rest on 26 September. Only now, two months later, I am beginning to realise the intensity of that day. There are so many things to remember, but one thing I cannot—and do not want to—forget and that is the hand of friendship that was extended to us by those we knew and those who came to the wake. Even Keith’s friends have become our friends. You came to see us and stayed with us. You travelled far, brought us so much food, and blessed us with handshakes, hugs, prayers, with beautiful cards and silence—giving us room to breathe and the space we needed. In our greatest need, you were there. And if you couldn’t be with us in person, you sent cards and messages or phoned us.
You were there, you are here.
At the beginning of October, the Logos Hope Ship was visited Belfast, and I reconnected with a friend I hadn’t seen since 1995. That’s a long time! He walked down the gangway, and we embraced—just as we had when I left the ship in Dublin in the spring of 1995. I introduced him to my daughters, and we had a wonderful time catching up. On Saturday, I took him to a local Premiership football match, Cliftonville was playing. So with my son Samuel and Carlos (Charly) from Argentina, we watched the match and I introduced him to other friends – we lost that game but we enjoyed a lovely afternoon catching up. When it was time to say goodbye, I hugged him, knowing we might not see each other again. But I’m sure our friendship will continue.
There are friends you may not see again.
But now and again, through some act of divine providence, you’re given the gift of reunion and the chance to embrace once more the friends and classmates you left behind when you finished secondary school.
One Saturday afternoon, I set off to Viña del Mar. Julio, a friend from my school days, opened his home and welcomed almost twenty-five of us.
It was such a wonderful experience. I hadn’t seen most of them—or perhaps any of them—for so long, yet being with them, I couldn’t help remembering how young we once were! We’re all in our fifties now, and some of them look just as I remember them.
The barbecue was underway: laughter, memories, warmth, care, deep conversations and not-so-deep ones, and the love of people who grew up together. It felt like family. I hadn’t seen this part of my family for so many years. Some of them see each other often, but I don’t.
Friendship is a powerful glue that binds us together.
Friendship is love, expressed beautifully in a kiss on the cheek. I had forgotten all about that! A friend reminded me that friendship lasts despite the distance. As I got into the car, she turned her cheek towards me for a kiss. When I greeted my male school friends by extending my hand, they reminded me to open my arms for a hug—and kissed me on the cheek. That personal, vulnerable gesture told me that I wasn’t forgotten; I was welcome.
I was also able to see other friends during my stay here. Friends that I wanted to hear their stories. Some of them are people I trust with my secrets, my joys and my pain. The journey isn’t over. I still want to reconnect with other friends I haven’t seen for more than thirty years!
I’m thankful. I landed in Chile almost a month ago, and now I’m getting ready to leave and return to Ireland. If it weren’t for my friends—the ones who opened their homes, gave me a place to stay, a place to cry, and a place simply to be—this journey would have been much more difficult.
“A real friend sticks closer than a brother.” — Proverbs 18:24
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