Ami Amour

"Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." -John 15:13

They say that a picture is worth a thousand words...well if that's the case, this one is worth a million. This picture is a summary of one of the best things that has come out of working as a counselor at Camp Longridge...friendship. The people in this picture, along with others, have made a stamp on my life that I hope never fades or gets covered up. At times, I have been frustrated with all of them, and yet, the love that I have for them stands tall over the frustration. I was reading through John last night (even though I am currently doing my reading no where near the book of John), and I came across a passage that we did a skit on this past summer. This passage can be found in John 15.  As I approached verse 13, I read it and immediately stopped reading and reflected on the friends that I have had my entire life. In middle school and high school, my friends changed on a seasonal basis. I had trouble finding people that I could connect with, talk to about anything with, and people that I could trust to always have my back...eventually, I found two of my very best friends (this is where I give a shoutout to Lisa Thornsberry and Brittany Serago). Their presence taught me the true meaning of friendship and they saved me from drowning in the ocean of thousands of teens in high school. Thanks guys!

As I continued to think about the friends I've had over my entire life, the zenith of all my friendships began in May of 2010. I was never so blessed to have found so many people that were so much like me in one place. To say that my fellow staffers are blessings is a huge understatement. I cannot thank most of these guys enough for helping me through some hard times, and I would trust them with my life.

Go reread that last sentence because you probably just skimmed right over it. "I would trust them with my life"...kinda a gutsy statement don't you think? Think about that, I would put my life in their hands. But here's the other thing, check out verse 13 above. I love them enough that I would risk my life for them. Now a lot of people would be critical and say that I do not know if I would risk my life for them until I am in that situation, and this criticism is true. And I hope I never have to find out if I would do it or not; however, I can confidently say that I love them, I know they love me, and I would be willing to do anything for them. So the greatest of my love goes out to these wonderful people. I love you all and I hope that our friendship lasts a lifetime. <3

I challenge you to thank that person (or people) that are your backbone and friends in life. I don't know how people make it in life without a friend by their side.