A Few Good Friends

My good friend Herb hunting with me


We all want them; we all need them; few of us have what we would call a Good Friend. I have just a few of them; I know lots and lots of people; I consider many people friends of mine; there is only a handful of folks that I call Good Friends.

I had a visit with one of my Good Friends this week; Herb and his wife and daughter drove over to see us and we spent some time hunting together, and a little time visiting and laughing. Much of our time is not spent, visiting about general newsy stuff; if we talk we talk directly to each other and discuss what is going on in each others lives.

I lost a childhood Good friend this week; Randy Schultz died from smoke inhalation caused by a house fire. Randy and I were nearly inseparable when I moved to the Coon Rapids area in 1964. For 5 years, we bummed around together; I would go to his house on Saturday morning, help him scoop hog manure from the barn and lay down fresh straw for the pigs, in order to play and be together in the afternoon. Randy was twice the size of me. My dad referred lovingly to Randy as "Hoss", after the Bonanza character. Some people saw us together and said, "Mutt and Jeff!"

We moved away from Coon Rapids in 1969, and Randy and I saw each other occasionally. 20 years ago, I attended the funeral of Randy's 3 year old son who was accidentally run over by a semi truck in their front yard. Years later I attended Randy's parents funeral. We didn't write, we didn't call over the years, only seeing each other occasionally. Next week I will attend my last Schultz funeral.

Proverbs says it right... iron sharpens iron... honor the friends of your father... a friend stick closer than a brother. True friends admonish, encourage, exhort, and trust each other. True friendship endures time and space; friends come and go.

I will miss knowing Randy is no longer here; my prayer is that we will meet once again in heaven and renew our friendship again, after another 40 years of near silence.

Written by
Earl Taylor, Director of Design and Vision
Hidden Acres Christian Center
...a Christian youth and children's summer camp and a retreat center for adults, families, churches, and schools. Hidden Acres is owned by the Evangelical Free Churches of Iowa, Missouri, and South Dakota and is located near Dayton along the Des Moines River.