What is a friend?

Many people were responsible for our successful 60th Peace Corps reunion that we recently held in Bemidji. I would like to thank the following businesses for helping to make it extra special: South Shore Hotel, Green Mill Restaurant, Rutgers Resort, Keith’s Pizza, Rafaels, Image Photography, Lakeland TV, Stitch and Sew, Aramark, Bemidji Woolen Mills, and the Beltrami County Fair. It is easy to see why thousands of people make Bemidji their summer destination. 

Sixty years ago, forty volunteers flew to Uruguay to be part of one of the first groups of volunteers to spend two years in another country. We lived and worked with fellow volunteers whom we had not known before. We became close friends. Sixty years later, we met in Bemidji to celebrate our friendship.   

What is a close friend? 

Peanuts’ Snoopy said: “Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only friends will leave footprints on your heart.”

Who leaves footprints on your heart? I hope you have someone who does. People come and go in our lives, but friends stay. For those volunteers who spent two years in Uruguay, each one, in their own way, left a footprint on our hearts. 

Think about your friends. Who has left a footprint in your heart? This would be someone who appreciates you just the way you are. You don’t have to make a show of things, share the same beliefs, brag about yourself, or dress in a certain way. They accept you as you are. 

Too often in relationships, we leave someone and never see them again. This is understandable because building relationships is one of the hardest things humans can do. How is it possible for two people to maintain an honest relationship year after year? Couples who have been married for years know the effort this requires. The same can be said about keeping friendships. Is there a magic formula?

Charlie Brown has the answer. “Life is too short. So do the things that make you happy. Be with those who make you happy.” Think about those with whom you are most happy. Those are your friends. 

I was with a group of guys in Uruguay who were mainly involved in coaching basketball, which wasn't the most groundbreaking project. We sponsored clinics for Uruguayans and also played against their teams. We weren’t the best coaches, and our win-loss record wasn’t remarkable. One notable thing is that we developed a friendship that lasted a lifetime. 

Thousands of quotes, words of wisdom, and books have been written about friendship. Building friendships is easy to explain but hard to do. One thing I have learned, however, in my 82 years, is that everyone needs a friend. One is enough. Two are better than one. Three are better than two. I am fortunate to have a group of friends who accept me just as I am. 

Charlie Brown says, “Good friends care for each other, close friends understand each other, but true friends stay together, beyond words, beyond distance, beyond time.” If you have friends like this, you are truly blessed.

Charlie Brown: “If you ask me how long I will be your friend, that’s hard to answer. It just depends on which is longer, forever or always.”

What is a friend? A friend is someone who leaves a footprint on your heart, makes you happy, and stays with you beyond time, remaining your friend forever.