She sat there on my soft with her easy smile and bright eyes that dance with the love of life.

Today, those eyes were also filled with concern — concern for me, her best friend.

Linda and I often marvel at the depth of our friendship.

We both found that a best friend isn’t someone you know the longest. It’s isn’t necessarily the one with whom you spend you spend the most time. It might not be the one with whom you share your keen interest.

A best friend can transcend all that and still be the one whose friendship you most value.

A best friend is someone who is always there for you. You never have to ask.

But you know you can count on her to be there for you. Just as I will always be there for her.

Linda and I both fall short when we try to explain the depth of our friendship.

I best describe the closeness between us by saying it is a gift from God.

My morning walks are a time when I talk with Jesus and give thanks for His many blessings. It’s a time when I talk with Him about what is on my mind.

Sometimes I tell Him about a deep desire I didn’t even know I had until I found myself admitting my need in prayer.

I recall telling Him how I was yearning for a special friend. It’s wonderful to have a good relationship with your husband, but I found myself talking about the need for a female friend that leads to an easy friendship. About that time neighbor Jerry and his wife, Linda, invited my husband and me to their Christmas party.

We already had another party to attend that day but I thought it was more important to go to Jerry’s party. I worried there wouldn’t be many people there because Jerry casually invited people they barely knew.

I only knew him casually from my neighborhood walks when I often stopped to chat with Jerry.

When we went to the party it was packed with people who seemed to be having a good time.

When Jerry saw me his eyes lighted up and he loudly announced, “Here she is, my girlfriend.” I saw some people look a bit surprised. I hoped his wife knew it was a joke between us.

Jerry had just come from having serious brain surgery that involved having part of his skull removed. He also had serious vision loss and often had to recognize people by their voice.

Yet that guy was so happy as if he didn’t have a problem in the world.

He was an inspiration to me, and his wife, Linda, is the same delightful kind of person who is grateful for life.

In thinking about friendship what I found is some friends are very casual friends. You can be with them and have a good time when you’re sharing an activity. I guess it would be accurate to call them activity friends. I have a lot of activity friends. But don’t expect them to be there for you if you are in need of something.

I’ve learned there are “good time friends” that are great for socializing as long as you keep it light and fun.

People tell me it takes a long time to develop a deep friendship. Maybe.

It also depends on the kind of friend you are.

My friend Lenny told me it is rare to have deep friendships with more people than the fingers on your one hand. In other words, they aren’t common.

He is one of my truly forever friends, but our friendship didn’t take years. He was a co-worker I didn’t know well, but when I had to have neurosurgery he came to my home to visit. That’s the kind of caring person he is, and for 30 years I’ve been honored to call him friend. Yet, it wasn’t a slow friendship. Like in my friendship with Linda, we clicked immediately.

I can’t say why some friendships start off strong and grow stronger through the years, but it’s a joy when it happens.

A close friend can uplift your spirits, even change your life. I call it the power of one.

I would do anything for a friend like that. You don’t have to ask a true friend for help. When you need them, they are there.

Think about how many people you put in that strong friendship category.

You don’t need a lot of friends to have a full life. Just one true friend can make a major difference. That’s why I call it “the power of one.”

I certainly WITNESSED THAT power last weekend when I had a scary health crisis.

Friendship doesn’t stop a health crisis, but there is comfort in having your close friend by your side.

In good days and bad a true friend makes life better.

If you have at least one true friend you are blessed, indeed.

Email Pattie Mihalik at newsgirl@comcast.net