I’ve made a lot of friends in my life.  That’s not a surprise, since I’ve known a lot of people in my life.

Some of my friends were not good friends.  You all know the type - they were only friends with me so that they could copy my homework, or because they enjoyed being cruel to me.

Some of my friends were only friends for a season.  We went to the same high school, or we had a class together in college, or we worked together.  When that season ended, we parted ways and lost contact.

Some of my friends have stayed in touch, but just barely.  We send an email or make a phone call every six months, whether we need it or not.

Some of my friends have lost contact entirely.  After a period of weeks or months passed, they or I made an internet search and sent an email or phone call.  We’ve resumed contact and now we happily talk often.

Only a few - two, to be specific - of my friends are life friends.  One I have known since I was seven and the other since I was eight.  I trust those girls like no one else.  They are soul friends, and I am blessed every day because I know them.

I am perplexed by this last type of friend.  I am always joyful when I am reunited with an old friend.  That’s why I am perplexed by old friends who reject efforts to resume contact.

Tonight I saw an old friend online.  We went to college together, where we were good acquaintences.  He was the boyfriend of a friend of mine, and we remained friends after they broke up.  We talked periodically, and due to my living situation, I usually went with him to the basement of his dorm during severe storm warnings.  I’ve seen him signed onto MSN Messenger several times previously, and I’ve im’d him, just to say hello and see how he is.  Yet I never get a response.

Friends can be so strange.