Old Friends

I like Guy Clark. You've probably figured that out by now.

He has a way of saying things that express my thoughts and feelings.

I have heard him and his "dear friend, Verlon Thompson" (as he always introduces him) sing this song several times. On one of those occasions, Verlon reflected on when he first started working with Guy:

"I met Guy when we working on his album, Old Friends ... and now we are."

The chorus of the song is:

Old Friends - they shine like diamonds
Old Friends - you can always call
Old Friends - Lord you can't buy 'em
You know - it's Old Friends after all

That pretty well sums it up doesn't it?

I am blessed to have several "old friends." As I count the blessings of these friendships, I have come to realize these qualities actually have little to do with chronological age, or the tenure of our relationship. You see "Old Friends" - regardless of age or how long we've known each other - are characterized by the qualities described in this song.

In another song - Stuff That Works - Guy describes another dimension of these friendships:

"I got a pretty good friend who’s seen me at my worst.
He can’t tell if I’m a blessing or a curse.
But he always shows up when the chips are down.
That’s the kind of stuff I like to be around."

The chorus of that song tells the vital truth about these kind of friends:

"Stuff that works, stuff that holds up
The kind of stuff you don’t hang on the wall
Stuff that’s real, stuff you feel
The kind of stuff you reach for when you fall."

Old friends, Lord you can't by them. That's the kind of stuff I like to be around.