Friends, health, fun!

Last week my husband and I met long-time friends at a local Ethiopian restaurant. We devoured a huge injera (Ethiopian spongy flat bread) covered in curried vegetables, lentils, lamb and chicken--and had so much fun catching up that we moved on for coffee and dessert at a new place across the street.Tonight we're meeting another couple we've known since our kids were toddlers (and now we're grandparents of toddlers!). We know we need to meet at a place where they don't mind us talking and laughing for at least two-three hours.What is it about friendship that we stay in touch and intentionally make time to connect? We can also add the question: what makes Facebook and Twitter so popular?A recent study by UCLA on the friendships of women discovered what most of us already know:

• Friendships shape who we are and who we will become. In other words, our friends influence our thinking, motivate us, and help us explore new avenues we might never have thought of. The Bible beat the UCLA study by 2,000 years by emphasizing that who we hang out with either builds us up spiritually and emotionally or drags us down.

• Hanging out with women friends helps reduce stress! Scientifically, getting together with other women during stressful times releases more of the chemical oxytocin which produces a calming effect. Apparently this is unique to women, so men don't get calmed down by hanging out with their buddies--that's because they have testosterone (this is getting too complicated, but you get the idea!)

• Friends help us live better. Another study on women discovered that the more friends we have, the more joy we have in life. When women go through one of life's greatest stressors, loosing a spouse, having a close friend you can confide in is vital for moving on with vitality.

With the summer coming to a close, give a friend a call. Go sit at an outdoor cafe, soak up the warmth, catch up, and laugh a lot. It will be just what the doctor ordered -- and God, too. All of us need more joy--and it comes from God and through our friends."The joy of the Lord is your strength....Rejoice in the Lord....Delight yourself in the Lord....A cheerful heart has a continual feast....A cheerful look brings joy to the heart....So I commend the enjoyment of life, because nothing is better for a man under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad."Have fun!