True Friendship

My darling daughter was baptized this past Sunday on the feast of Corpus Christi. It was an awesome day shared with family and friends. Miss Belle's godparents are my sister and one of my husband's childhood friends, Nathanael. I haven't spent a whole lot of time with Nathanael, just enough to know he would make an awesome godfather (the fact that he has spent the last six years in seminary told me that!). What I didn't know was just how awesome of a godfather we picked.

For the past three days I have been able to spend some personal time with my daughter's godfather discussing everything from our favorite youtube videos to the deepest issues of our faith. I feel I have found a new friend in him; a kind of friend that doesn't come along very often. Nathanael is the type of man who makes you want to be the best you can be. The type of person who, somehow, just by their very presence draws you closer to Christ. The kind of person you watch what you say around, not because you are being fake, but because they call you to something higher. Have you ever met someone like this? If you haven't, I hope you do someday.
He is the type of man who doesn't just talk about his faith, he lives it. Despite fatigue and company he makes time for prayer (and lots of it) and ignites a strong desire in me to become more fervent in my own prayer life. He is always willing to answer my thousands of questions about moral issues and the way he was raised, and he does it with so much compassion and charity. He is the type of person I want my son to grow up to be like.

His visit got me thinking a lot about friendship. Out of my many many friends there are very few who bring me up. How awesome the world would be if we held each other accountable?  How awesome would my friendships be if I could push my pride and fear away and ask a friend to pray with me? How much better of a friend could I be if I spent more time in prayer and expanded my knowledge of the faith?  I'm going to try and be a better friend; one who brings my friends closer to Christ. Thank you, Nathanael, for reminding me of what Christ created friendship for and for being a true friend and an amazing Godfather.