Friendship is like a cluster of boulders in a river,
standing side by side in companionship,
glistening brilliantly in the sunshine of good times,
offering verbal commitment in calm waters,
ever-present on sunny and slow-moving water days,
boasting exquisite beauty to onlookers,
spurring jealous words, “I wish I had friends like those.”
When sunny days turn to stormy days,
When rain clouds pour down buckets of water,
When river water no long takes a stroll in the park,
When roaring rivers overflow their banks,
When bright days turn to dark overcast days,
When water bulldozes its way downstream,
Crashing, smashing, and slapping boulders of friendship.
When the storm calms its wrath,
cloud bucket empties,
river water volume diminishes,
returns to slow-motion action, and now
revealing some missing boulders.
Boulders that remain are signs of authentic friendship.
Missing boulders are signs of inauthentic friendship,
failing the test of the storm,
dislodged and disappeared.
Authentic friends remain solid during stormy times.
Inauthentic friends become dislocated and flow away downstream
in stormy times.
Never despair when storms occur in friendships.
Give thanks.
Storms reveal true and solid friends.
Beloved Reflections 