Friends

I enjoy running by myself. I enjoy running with others even more. This morning I met with seven other guys. I kind of knew two or three of the other runners. Four or five of them are good friends of mine.

We started off at the new pedestrian bridge, crossed the Missouri River, and ran most of the 10 miles in Iowa. At 6:00 a.m. most of the running was in the dark.

A dentist, a heating and air conditioning guy, a UPS employee, a business process analyst (whatever that is), an accountant, a psychologist, and a pastor. Some of us are married. Some aren't. Some of us have kids. Some don't. Some are really fast. Some aren't. None of that stuff mattered. We just had fun. We poked fun at each other, enjoyed each other's company, and all look forward to running in Boston next spring.

Life is like that. We can do well by ourselves. But I have this feeling, and I have a feeling that you have a feeling, that God gives us each other for a reason.

I observed yet another example of something meaningless under the sun. This is the case of a man who is all alone, without a child or a brother, yet who works hard to gain as much wealth as he can. But then he asks himself, “Who am I working for? Why am I giving up so much pleasure now?” It is all so meaningless and depressing. Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken. -Ecclesiastes 4:7-12