THAT'S WHAT FRIENDS ARE FOR

We have not made many friends in the past four and a half years in Ann Arbor, but we have become close with one of our work colleagues, Dan, and his wife, Jane. We've had dinners at each others' homes and see each other on walks as they just live a few blocks away.

Recently, Jane recommend one of my favorite books that I read and reviewed here recently, Demon Copperhead. She leant me Kingsolver's earlier novel, the Poisonwood Bible, too. 

We both share a love for the outdoors, but we have not been to too many hiking spots since our move. Dan and Jane told us about one of their favorite spots, Kensington Park, and they even left a nice map of the park in our mailbox. Therefore, we decided to check it out this past weekend.

It was only about 20 minutes from our house, but it was a beautiful stroll around a large lake. We saw storks and a variety of other birds, and they even had a Nature Center, where one of the workers treated us to the daily feeding of a rescue bird who is recovering there. All in all, it was an excellent afternoon.

Afterwards, I was struck by how we never would have known about this park or Barbara Kingsolver, or so many things in Ann Abor were it not for Dan and Jane. That is what friends do. They enrich our lives, share parts of themselves with us, and make us better people. Grateful for them and so many of my friends who have made me who I am!