After far too long journeying (thank you Delta) I have finally arrived on Orcas Island, in Washington state. I am here with my family for a conference. This morning’s session was a fascinating look at friendship through the eyes of Luci Shaw’s relationship with Madeline L’Engle. Her presentation was a beautiful reminder of the love and dirt of relationships. There were two points that stuck with me.

The first was that friendships are different from Family because they are choices. I agreed with her here. You can definitely be friends with your family, but sometimes (and sometimes often) family are also a training ground for dealing with people we would normally not associate ourselves with.

The second point was that friendships are choices, choices based on mutual interests. But they go beyond this. Friendships become a balance of similarities and differences, held in tension. This was wonderfully illustrated when Luci discussed her theological and relational differences with L’Engle.

I think these points heightened my understanding of friendship. What do you think?