Seasons of Friends

Seasons of Friends

If you are reading this now, you have likely touched my life in some way. You might even be called a friend. In thinking about friends I realized a few things about my friends.

I have “Life Long” friends. Those that I have known most of my life and we continue to communicate one way or another. My oldest and still closest friends are Mark Miller and Clayton Myers. I can remember no friend longer than I have known Mark. I have other people that I consider life long friends but it seems to be a life time ago since we talked. For those we could meet and talk like no time at all passed. We are friends.

I have some people I work with at IBM that I now consider friends. At one time they were colleagues but at some point they crossed over to being a friend. We have worked, traveled, eaten together and become friends. They hold a special place in my heart and mind. We are friends.

I have church friends. People I go to church with or have known for years. It is the only connection I have with them is that we go to church together. I can think of many people over the years that fit this category. I have two such friends that go beyond just someone I know. Ron and Carol Plinsky in Wichita have been my closest Christian friends. I love them as much as a person can love anyone. I love to spend any time I can with them. I know if they read this, it will embarrass them but they are the best and I am a better person because of their friendship. We are friends.

Years ago our family was leaving Wichita about the time that Pastors Mike and Kerry Clarensau came to Wichita to become Maranatha’s pastors. I remember something that Ron said to me back then was he thought Mike and Kerry would be great friends to us. They were our age, we both had boys the same approximate age. They thought that we would have become great friends. Little did I know that later we were to become friends.

Three years later, we moved back to Wichita and started attending Maranatha again. We came back at a time that personally Carolyn and I needed their ministry. Their unique way of loving people, sharing God’s word and just touching lives was critical to what we needed in our lives. Over the course of the next few years they would minister to us in some pretty important times in our live.

They performed the marriage of my mom to John, they baptized my grand children thru dedication to the Lord. They performed the marriage over our son Josh and Andria. They performed the funeral over my brothers Dan and Joey. Lastly, they performed the funeral over our grand daughter Corrine and her mom Andria. They were there during our high times and our low times. In this we forged a friendship that can never be broken. Something was forged out of life’s circumstances and events that changed our lives forever. You could never repay someone for their friendship. You can just be a friend. We are friends.

Many times when things happen to us, its our friends that stand with us. I do know that true friends will shine and not leave you. A friend is not someone to take advantage of or to wear out your welcome with. But a friend is one that sees you for who you are, regardless of what you have gone thru or what you are and love you anyway.

Through the events in our lives over the last few years I have made many new friends. Life long friends have reestablished communication – even thru Facebook. I have enjoyed every bit of time I have been able to reach out and be a friend back to each person. I am not going to name names here because I could never write about everyone. But you should know I do not ever take our friendship lightly.

Ron Plinsky had no idea how important the friendship and ministry of Mike and Kerry Clarensau has been to our family. We will always be friends. Mike and Kerry have moved on from Maranatha but God has brought to us new friends. Jack and Kaye Chancey here in Samson, and our pastors, have become precious friends to us. I am getting to know many people here in Samson and appreciate so much the friends that we are making.

I have said many times that our life ended on March 10, 2009 and somehow started again on March 11, 2009. It was a slow start but we are moving forward. So many friends that I have made or are making I can consider life long friends. My life of just 2 years. I am very thankful for each of you.

I have friends that I am thinking about (you know who you are) in Minnesota, Nevada, Utah, Alabama, California, Toronto and other places. I hope that when you think of me you can say in your mind and heart that we are friends.

Charles