FRIENDS

Friday Five from Songbird at RevGalBlogPals is a good stimulus to 'at-least-weekly' blogging. She writes:

If you're ever in a jam, here I am.
If you're ever in a mess, S.O.S.
If you're so happy, you land in jail. I'm your bail.
It's friendship, friendship, just a perfect blendship.
When other friendships are soon forgot, ours will still be hot.


I'm thinking a lot about friends these days, the ones who rush to you in times of trouble, with a casserole or a socket wrench or an invitation for coffee or lunch or a trip to the foot sanctuary. We meet friends in school or on the playground or at church or in the workplace and even on the Internet. Even as blogging has experienced some decline, the community here has been strong.

For today's Friday Five, some questions about friendship.

1) Who is the first friend you remember from childhood?
My first 'best friend' was Pamela. She lived up the road and our mothers often arranged for us to play together. Like me she was the oldest in a family. Her farm provided lots of opportunities to roam and explore.
2) Have you ever received an unexpected gift from a friend?
The most recent surprise was from a student group (not exactly friends I know but the surprise part is true) who gave me a most beautiful orchid when I had taught them for only a few weeks.
3) Is there an old friend you wish you could find again? Or have you found one via social media or the Internet?
Just this week I was thinking of my Girls Brigade Captain, who was one of those people who influenced me in choosing a medical career. Browsing through someone else's friend list on facebook I found her and made contact. She and husband have just retired from Christian ministry. Facebook has led to a lot of renewed friendships for me, and also wider family connections.
4) Do you like to get your good friends together in a group, or do you prefer your friends one on one?
Both. Generally a one-on-one gal. But love an occasional girls-night-in or group movie outing.
5) Does the idea of Jesus as a friend resonate with you?
Rankles more than it resonates. Jingly stuff really turns me off. And superficial intimacy with the divine seems blasphemous. Yet at a deep level the idea does also resonate. I have seen that deep abiding friendship lived out by countless saints in my immediate and extended family and in religious community. The recent death of a family friend brought to mind the old hymn: 'O love that wilt not let me go, I rest my weary soul in thee' That kind of friendship resonates.

BONUS song (which funnily enough does resonate -maybe irrationally or maybe because in its own quirky way this song does encompass both the 'otherness' of the divine, AND the personal grace)

It's been a month ....

and what a month it's been.

• Accreditation visit for our school (outcome not available but assumed OK as they would presumably tell us to make other arrangements for the students if they were closing us down)
  
• Selection process for 2011 entry completed. Less angst than last year. More philosophical/ fatalistic. We won't have got it 100% right. Some great applicants will have missed out. Possibly some unsuitable ones will have slipped in. But from the 1116 applicants we have selected a class of 112. Many of whom are outstanding in many respects.
• HSC commenced. Youngest member of the family has embarked on this right of passage unique to the Australian education system. Advanced English seemed okay but outcome unpredictable.
• Personal reflection. Now that's where there is a bit of a block. Seem to have got too busy to do the most important. As evidenced in part by lack of blog entries. And erratic participation in worship. And minimal intentional exercise (even cutting back on the incidental everyday exercise)
• So that's where I'm at. Looking to engage more and reflect deliberately.