Reprinted from a facebook entry:

         Thinking today how the currency of friendship is, always, ultimately, time – hard time, sometimes of course, but also the times of your lives.  Of course there are gifts people can give you that are crucial (an elegant coat, a fabulous pair of shoes, an airline ticket, or just plain old cash, given the circumstances:  a need for warmth, or something that makes you feel sparkly new, the means for adventure or a trip home, or just plain paying the bills on time) – but the real hard currency are the minutes, hours, days, weeks – the lifetime you spend shoulder to shoulder with the people you love the most, sharing the burden of inevitable pain, exulting during the good times, eating countless home-cooked meals together, getting together for impromptu Saturday night parties, and of course, always, no matter what, looking for the humor in everything, even (especially!) when it's gallows. 

         It is the ultimate honor to allowed to be a part of another person’s journey, to be among the first to hear news, be it good or bad, to be the first responder.  Because nothing takes the place of the shared here and now, and nothing is ever as consoling as hearing the voice of someone you really love saying, What do you need?  Or just cutting to the chase with:  I’ll be right over.

         It’s what separates the hardcore from the flirts, the always-texts/never-sees from real here-and now-face time, superficial words from the real, deep consolation of a major hug, and a face to witness the event so you don't have to do it all by yourself. 

         Here’s to my friends – my real friends – this is me, raising a glass, to you.