BETWEEN THE LINES: IT'S DIFFICULT TO REPAY YOUR FRIENDS FOR ALL THE FAVORS

"Friendship is an arrangement by which we undertake to exchange small favors for big ones." -- Montesquieu

After asking several friends to help move heavy pieces of my mother's furniture over the weekend, I realized how nice it is to have friends.

Everyone should have at least one good friend.

I happen to have really great friends, and I have lots of them scattered across the country.

This weekend I needed some really strong, muscular friends to help move furniture. And I had them -- all for the cost of a couple sub sandwiches and chips.

But I suddenly realized that if I ever had to repay all the favors I've collected from my friends, I'd be deeply in debt.

I have one friend who said, "Do the words you owe me big time mean anything to you?" as he shoved boxes onto the back of a rental truck.

In the last year, friends from both Missouri and Florida have helped me load boxes and pack my belongings in preparation for a move. And they never complained about the job while they were working.

My friends in Florida helped get me through some really tough times while I was away from my family and adjusting to a new job.

Without their support and love, I would never have been able to survive 10 months in Florida, or had the courage to return home.

Jennifer always made sure I had some thrill and excitement in my life while I was living in Florida. And she's already planned activities for my April vacation.

Bill and Lisa shared my sorrows about bad, horrible, terrible days at work. They understood, offered sympathy and called to see if I was OK. And they offered to feed my pets whenever I was away -- another essential quality in friends.

Faye always picked me up when I was down. Since we worked in the same building, she offered lots of uplifting words and hugs.

The great thing about having friends is knowing they're around when you need them. Sure, I've requested lots of favors from my friends, but I've not neglected them either.

The great thing about friendships is the balance they create. True friends cheer you up when you're down, listen to your complaints and don't judge.

They simply ask the same in return.

Friendships are unusual things. I can't explain how or why I came to be friends with some of the people I know. We live in different places, have different jobs and don't always share common interests. But we have a bond that connects us.

And that bond of friendship comes in different forms. I have friends at work, friends at church, friends from college and friends from high school.

None of these friends have ever really met. But they all share my friendship.

I once read a book titled "Friendshifts" that explained how people become friends and how friendships change over time.

It presented interesting theories about friendships but didn't really explain all the relationships I have.

I'm not really sure I want to have all my friendships explained. If they were, the magic of the friendship would be lost in the explanation. It's simplest to say I have plenty of friends and that's all that counts.

No matter how diverse or geographically scattered they are, my friends are important. I'd never be able to make it through the day -- or another move -- without them.

~Laura Johnston is a copy editor for the Southeast Missourian.