Recently, I had the complete joy of spending time with my friend over a couple of cups of iced coffee. It was going to be just a simple little coffee date. Get away from the house duties, have a bit of space from the kiddos, enjoy a tasty beverage, and connect in a simple way. Nothing flashy or fancy or full of crazy expectations. Just a brief afternoon to connect, face-to-face, in real time.

We headed on down to a local coffee shop that has an antique cash register, comfy couches throughout the various seating areas, a cute chalkboard menu, and fun décor surrounding. It was quiet. It was humble. It was perfect.

I thought we would be gone for maaaaybe 2 hours total, while she let her kids know she’d be gone for about an hour.

We were both wrong.

After what I thought was about an hour, I happened to look at my watch to gage our timing and realized … we had already been gone for 3 hours. Three!! That might not seem long to many of you, but when you do not anticipate that length of time when looking at your watch, it’s quite surprising to see it.

We were sweating in the heat, chatting away, listening, sharing, asking questions, sipping our coffees, telling stories, laughing, grieving, celebrating, learning more about each other … and before we knew it, our entire afternoon had flown right on by. I loved every minute of it. Our time together was so sweet and so easy that we didn’t even realize how quickly it had gone.

I tell you all of this because, well, friends are treasures.

After dropping my friend off at her house, I drove home with a lightness in me. Joy. Connection. Laughter. Sharing. Trust. Friendship. Sharpening. Encouraging. Learning. Growing. What a true gift to have friends to “do life with” and to enjoy a beautiful 3-hour long coffee date. It was a lovely afternoon that carried me right into a lovely evening (though I spent it at the hockey rink surrounded by smelly hockey gear, haha!). Friendships help us be immune to the junk around us. We can face our days and nights with a new and refreshing outlook when we’ve connected with a friend in a meaningful way.

If you haven’t done so recently, I encourage you to step out and connect with a friend. It doesn’t have to be anything spectacular, just a time to get together. I am so grateful my friend had asked me. I was more than thrilled and ready to say, “Yes, let’s go!” Sometimes, we just have to be bold and willing to take that step (either in asking or in accepting the invite).

Yes indeed, friends are treasures. They are not treasures to hide away, but to go out with and enjoy life! They are meant to be discovered as friends are incredibly valuable in our lives.

This begs the question, “What treasured friendships are awaiting for you to discover?”