Friends

Friends are never earned they're a gift from the loving God And they're precious beyond human evaluation But you dare not take them for granted or they'll lift away like a smoke And the warmth of their caring will vanish into the chill of the endless nights Most of my friends are unknowns they probably won't even rate an obituary Unless they live and die in a small town Somewhere where nothing much ever happens But a few of my friends are big people They'd made the word ring with laughter down to this string of court They're famous sensitive talented and their names are household words And yet they're no more precious in God's eyes or in mine Than those wonderful nobody's who live and die in small towns Who is your friend he's someone who warms you with a nod Or with an unspoken word in hard times when you're hurting beyond words Who is your friend he's someone who holds you to her breast And sighs softly into your hair when no other medicine could possibly stop the pain A friend is someone who clings his glass against yours Or answers the phone at three in the morning when you're lost And with a few words of encouragement and concern Makes you realize that you're not really lost at all Friends come in both sexes in all shapes and sizes The most important thing they have in common is their ability To share with you your most sky splitting joys Or your deepest most spelling ol' some sorrows for they're all your friends