Dinner among friends. Although, with how much food we have on the table–and how much I tend to eat–at some point, it’s no longer dinner. It’s a contest…but I’m not sure who’s the real winner.
I met Krystal Carter and Eric Garcia through the kids ministry at church. The three of us were involved with the drama team, they being directors and I usually being the oldest actor on stage. Trust me, ministry doesn’t work without a solid and repeated dose of humility. Since furthering our involvement in different ministries at church over the last year, I haven’t seen them as frequently as I used to (we once used to see and work with each other at least every weekend). So, to preserve what we found to be an unusually cohesive friendship, we resolved to have dinner together at least once a month, at Krystal’s apartment by default. Last night was that night, with Krystal, using what she’s learned about our appetites, baking a giant tray of lasagna. If your friendship doesn’t include cheesy meat or meaty cheese in heavy, repeated doses–much like humility in ministry–then I question the depth of your friendship. Conversation and binging are essential to any good relationship, I’d say.
Our conversations are never too investigative; I’m impressed by how accepting we’ve become of each other. The unwritten (until now) rule we have is to love and serve each other unquestioningly. These are two of the most talented and dedicated friends I’ve had, despite the fact that we have to schedule a day every month to see each other. Eric put it best when I had the pleasant surprise of actually seeing him at church last Sunday: “We’re lifers.” We’re not trying to be friends–we simply are. We’ll see one another after an indeterminate interval and pick up where we left off, no apologies necessary. Maybe the distance and the reserved respectfulness in our conversations are what make things work. But who can figure such things? One tray of lasagna, a half gallon of ice cream, and several waistline inches later, we can come to this conclusion: thank God for good friends.
Tim Loves Everyone! 