Friends

For over a year and a half now, Nick and I have been collecting every season of Friends on Dvd. Most recently we bought each other the last two seasons for Christmas... which completes our collection! When we have nothing else to do on any given night we play a few episodes and laugh our heads off. We don't have cable so we have relied on Friends to entertain us when all we want to do is relax and laugh.
Now, last night, as we began season 9 (yes, we opened a Christmas present early...shhh!) it dawned on me that we may actually be living vicariously through the amazing friendships in this show. Don't get me wrong, Nick and I both have great friends and we've even both experienced the same kind of close-knit community that the show portrays at one point or another in our lives. But currently, none of our close friends live within 3 hours of us so most of the time, we are all we have. I'm jealous that Rachel can walk across the hall and hangout with Monica and Chandler and that any one of them can walk into the coffee shop and have a best friend to sit down and chat with. I have CHERISHED these times in my life when I could walk into It's a Grind and sit down next to a smiling, familiar face and when I could walk across the street to the on-campus apartment of some of my best friends. Those times were amazing and fun and important.
We are all in constant search and in constant need of community. That's why I believe in the church. That's why I love the show Friends, too. That is also why Nick and I are starting a community group at our apartment in January. WE NEED FRIENDS! We don't meet friends in class anymore, we don't even have a group at either of our churches to attend anymore so we are intentionally trying to create community here in our little space in Birmingham. I hope it works.
We need each other. We need to talk about our fears and worries and joys. We even just need someone to go shopping with us or share a meal with us. People need people.
Last night I was flipping through my phone erasing names of people from my past whom I would never really need to call again. It was very interesting, and sad. Some of them I had to think really hard to remember! Mostly I was just flipping through looking at the names of people in my life NOW who ARE my friends.....just to remind myself that I have them. Lame, I know. But, my prayer for you and for Nick and for myself is that we are able to find true community....real friends. "I'll be there for you....when the rain starts to fall....I'll be there for you...."