I had lunch with a dear friend yesterday. Nothing elaborate, simple food in a simple place, served by pleasant people. The food was delicious, as it has always been at this particular restaurant. But, of course, it wasn’t the food or the place that made the meal more than a meal.

As you well know, it’s the time and the talking. The sharing of stories, the answering of questions, the being together, if only for an hour. Some might say that such times are the flowers in life’s garden. There are aspects of that metaphor that I like: the notion of beauty and fragrance, of color and brightness.

I’m more inclined, though, to believe that such visits are even more organic than that, something of the soil, of nourishment and life. There’s something sustaining and refreshing, maybe more like the gentle rains that come in due season.

Lately, I’m more inclined to think that time spent with friends who hold us up to the Light, who understand our flaws and faults yet still are part of our calling to better life, is a part of God’s own grace. A part of the Divine nurturing, the actualization of his caring. When I consider that time spent with such friends may rather be a key part of God’s own provision, it makes me believe that I should be more deliberate, more proactive about arranging such things.

Especially when I consider that I may also well be a part of God’s caring for my friends, even as they are for me.

H. Arnett
1/10/18