Friends

I've never been one of those people who's surrounded by friends, and that's fine with me.
I prefer to choose a couple people, thoroughly check their backgrounds and determine their trustworthyness.  Ok, maybe not the best process for establishing lasting relationships, but I'd rather have a few people I know I can count on than be surround by superficial ones who disappear when I need them most.

My husband, on the other hand, thinks everyone who's ever said "hi" to him is his friend.  I've often joked he's like a puppy at the pound, overjoyed by whoever speaks to him.  I really don't understand this behavior.  It seems so foreign to me.  How we ever got together is a true mystery.

A trait we do share, though, is that we see people as people not as a race, class or denomination.  That means we are friends with a varied group.  This is something we have passed on to our children as well.  They are both able to befriend people from different cliques and classes, which has sometimes been problematic for them in that their friends have not been raised the same way.

When did we stop seeing people as people and just determine their worth based on their color, nationality and economic status?  How do these things determine their ability to be a faithful, loving friend?  If we choose only people like us to be friends with, how boring that would be!  I have no friends like me.  That would be a recipe for disaster.