By Samantha Almanza Earlier in the month I travelled to Chicago to run the Hot Chocolate 5k/15k to fundraise for the Lasallian Volunteer program. While I was there I was able to catch up with some friends whom I had not seen in months and even years. Upon reflecting on my weekend with them, I am overwhelmed with gratitude for having such amazing friends in my life! The group of friends that I reconnected with in Chicago is very diverse: I have friends in their 20s who are just starting out their career and friends in their 70s who are about to retire; I have friends living in different cities all over the country who are in a variety of professions; I have friends from diverse cultural backgrounds with passions that are much different than mine. When I look at the surface of this group, it seems weird that more than 60 of us would travel hours to come together to run a race in Chicago, but when I dive deeper into the bonds of our friendship it makes complete sense to me. We all met because of our dedication to offering quality education to those who are most in need. Because of this Christian foundation of our friendship, we could easily come together and still relate to each other. As we caught up over the weekend, I felt nothing but support and encouragement in the group. There were no rivalries like you find in some relationships, just friends listening with open hearts and minds to their friends’ stories. Some of the stories were about recent accomplishments and some were about recent challenges, but all were met with encouragement and wishing only the best for each other. I wanted to share this experience with you to highlight how important it is to surround yourself with friends who believe in you and inspire you to become a better person. I came away from my weekend in Chicago with a renewed spirit and energy to take on the world. This is what authentic friends do for you – they help you to believe in yourself, they are there in the good times and bad times, and they inspire you to live out your values. In the letter to the Philippians, St. Paul gives us a great model for true friendship. He says "For God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the affection of Jesus Christ. And this is my prayer: that your love may increase ever more in knowledge and every kind of perception, to discern what is of value, so that you may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God." After reading and reflecting on this passage, ask yourself: Who are my true friends? Do they help me embrace good values? Who am I a true friend to? How can I be more Christ-like in some of my friendships? Samantha Almanza is the Diocese of Salt Lake City Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministry; she can be reached @YouthMin_SLC
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