Measuring the Human Dimensions of Friendship

Nearly every year, I attend a Christmas service, even though I’m Jewish. Every year, the officiant delivering the homily points out that Christmas occurs in winter, bringing us hope in dark hours. As he says, “Perhaps it is the winter of your life.”

One of those “winter” years, this made me so sad I almost needed to run out. For comfort, I took the pendant of my necklace in my hand. It was a gift from a friend. And I found myself taking a kind of inventory: My dress had been suggested by another friend, while shopping, and my jacket was a hand-me-down. Of everything I wore that night, the only item I had chosen without influence was my underwear.