Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: “What! You too? I thought that no one but myself ….” (C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves).

Every writer dreams of discovering a new treasure chest full of writing prompts.

Today, I discovered one right at my fingertips, when I clicked on my Facebook “friends.”

Stories. Every friend reminded me of a story or at least one unique characteristic or value. And as I read my list of friends, I realized again what a blessing friends have been in my life.

Gifts. Each one of my friends represents a gift from God to me. And I pray that I never take the blessing of friendship for granted. My friends have taught me more about myself and my world. And they have helped to transform me into the person I am today. And they continue to influence me on my faith journey.

Memories. I’ve walked through some difficult times with many of my friends. And I’ve experienced some of my most valued moments in life with my friends.

As I thought about some of my childhood friends, I remembered stories from elementary school or junior high. When I thought about some of my high school friends, I thought of several great and some “not-so-great” moments.

Some of my lifelong friends witnessed my wedding. Others stood by me during the birth of my children and even my grandchildren. Many of my friends supported me through the death my parents. Others helped me pack, or I helped them pack, when we moved away from each other.

I made new friends with each move. I never forget some of the friends I made during my journey as a non-traditional college student. And some of my first writing colleagues encouraged me as I began my journey as a writing instructor.

Dreams. As I pursued my journey as a writer, I discovered even more treasured friendships. We’ve shared our dreams and visions, and we’ve prayed for each other as we pitched ideas to publishers, agents, and other writing professionals at writing conferences.

My writing friends encourage me as we confess our doubts and fears to each other. And they inspire me with their insights into the world of publishing. We celebrate our successes and mourn our failures together. We encourage each other when rejection or frustrations overwhelm us.

As I stretch beyond my comfort zone with speaking, blogging, marketing, and new technology, my friends offer a listening ear or an encouraging nudge.

Inspiration. I’m thankful for the friends who inspired this writing prompt idea today. I hope this post encourages you to write down some of your stories about the  friends in your life.

What treasured friendship came to mind as you read this post?  I hope you will share your story of friendship with us as a comment to this post.