FRIENDSHIPS
“Oil and incense bring joy to the heart, and the sweetness of a friend is counsel to the soul.”
— Proverbs 27:9
There are many versions of friendship. There are childhood friends, adult friends, lifelong friendships, and even accidental friends.
During childhood, there's always that one friend you love like a brother — the one you do everything with. You share sleepovers, birthdays, adventures, and the simple act of growing up together.
Real friendship is precious indeed.
These are the relationships that mold us and help make us who we become. Many times, we don't realize the impact they truly have on our lives until much later.
Friendship is golden.
Accidental friendships are those unexpected connections that somehow arrive exactly when we need them most.
I had the honor of volunteering alongside my wife in Hospice Care in Louisiana. The poem “Willie and The Black Stallion” is about one of these accidental but wonderful friendships during that time.
What a blessing he was to me
WILLIE AND THE BLACK STALLION
“An unexpected friendship born through hospice care — a reminder that even at life's hardest moments, kindness, courage, and love can leave footprints on our hearts forever.”
Willie loved living
And he loved horses too
His heroes were guys like
Roy Rogers and Lash Larue
When I would come over to visit
The TV was in black and white
Those old shows would keep his attention
His heroes always won the fight
Willie also had cancer
The pain took his will
His best moments were times
When he was quiet and still
He called me late one night
He was scared and all alone
I could hear he was breathless
On my end of the phone
He told me about a black stallion
That was nipping at his neck
He was running as fast as he could
But it felt like he had big weights on his legs
He said, “I know he's close
I can feel his hot breath
And I know if he catches me now
It's gonna be my death”
I came over to comfort him that night
His sick frame was so weak
He was such a sweet and gentle man
I always felt so blessed to meet
Willie's dreams continued
The stallion came closer each night
I always hated that the thing he loved the most
Was giving him such a fright
It wasn't long after his call
The stallion no longer ran alone
You see, the horse wasn't coming to hurt Willie
It was coming to take him home.
MY FRIEND
“A reflection on the friendships that shape our lives — and a reminder that time passes far too quickly to leave important words unsaid.”
It was a day like any other
I awoke with the day's work in my head
Getting dressed, I turned to leave
Wishing I was still sleeping comfortably in my bed
At least it was Friday
The last day of my workweek
I walked into my office
Cleared my desk and took my seat
Drinking my first morning cup of coffee
Sitting all alone
I heard a sound and then looked down
At a message on my phone
I could see every word on the message
But the meaning just wouldn't come through
This couldn't be reality
It just could not be true
Every thought inside my head
Took me back to days gone by
A childhood full of fun and friends
And I began to cry
There's no way it can be this way
It just can't happen like this
We were supposed to get together soon
To laugh and talk and reminisce
We were going to pull out those old pictures
Make fun of our clothes and hair
Just how am I supposed to do that
If you're not even here
You only get one childhood
And one best friend
To share life and plans and dreams
The years go past
And life just happens
So very fast it seems
I'll never get that chance here on Earth
To reconnect with him again
But I'll always cherish the memories
I have of my dear friend
Don't take friendship for granted
It's special in every way
Keep in touch
No matter what
You'll be glad you did one day
HOME
“A journey through childhood, friendship, war, and life's final chapter — discovering that home is more than a place; it's where love, peace, and the people who matter most are waiting.”
She was proud of her young man
It was Brad's first sleepover with his friend
She had heard them making plans
So she packed his favorite backpack to send
He told her they were gonna play games
And stay up as long as they could
Eat lots of ice cream and candy
Probably much more than they should
His friend River met him at the front door
It was gonna be a great night
Brad stopped himself and turned around
Before his mom got out of sight
“Wait Mom!” he yelled
Then ran up to give her a big squeeze
“Thanks for letting me come tonight
I'll be a big boy and say thank you and please.”
Then he released her and ran inside
With a wink from River's mom
They shut the door and she couldn't help
But give out a whimpering sob
They had such a good time
And did almost everything they said
Until it got dark outside
And got close to time for bed
First Brad could feel it in his stomach
Then small tears welled up in his eyes
He told River's mom
Which to her was no surprise
He said, “I want to go home!
My belly doesn't feel just right
I'm not real sure what's wrong with me
Maybe I'm allergic to your house at night.”
The two mothers had already talked
They expected that this might be the case
She told him, “I'll take you home, Brad.”
A smile lit up across his face
Years later River reminded Brad of that night
While they talked to the recruiter that day
Together they were joining the Army
To see parts of the world so far away
The training was very difficult
It pushed them to their limits every day
Somehow in that time they became men
Always having each other to lean on day to day
After a couple of months
They shipped out together
To a war they had to win
It was on that ship going over
That their real worries and fears would begin
They saw horrible things
They never thought they'd see
It was fight after fight after fight
But it always seemed more intense and scary
Sitting in a foxhole late one night
They heard yelling in another language
Then explosions that rocked the ground
Screams from some of their friends
Were the worst of all the sounds
They fought for their lives with all they had
Beating them back to finally win the fight
In all the smoke and noise
Brad searched everywhere for River that night
Yelling out his name in all the confusion
Brad finally heard him crying out loud
Finding him in a bombed-out crater
He reached in to pull him out
Yelling for the medics to help him
He did everything he could do
His dear friend grabbed his arm
He said, “Brad, now I know the truth.”
“I wanna go home!
I wanna sleep in my bed
I wanna wake up in my house
And not hear these explosions in my head.”
Medics rushed to help him
They took him away in the dark night
For the first time since he arrived
Brad could feel the chills of fright
After the war came to an end
They lived their lives like brothers
Always the best of friends
They loved each other's families
Their grandkids and their wives
And they were both together
As old men at the end of their lives
After many treatments and lots of pain
River called in all his clan
He told them, “I know you want me here
But that's never been my plan.”
Reaching out to hold their hands
He whispered in his weakened voice
“I want to go home now.
I've finally made my choice.”
Brad knew what those words meant
As he looked deep into his eyes
The two men's eyes connected
His words were no surprise
Finding his voice, Brad told him
“Yes, go home my dear friend
It's where you're meant to be
And I know soon I'll be joining you
Soon we'll both be free
But until that time, just know
I'll see that everything is right
Your family will have me to call
No matter how dark the night.”