A good friend

My son, Thomas, is a friend to every body. In fact, he often laments that people that he doesn't know, know him. Kids at school will say, "Hey Thomas" and he will have no idea who they are. He tells me he doesn't know how that happens.

I tell him that he is the kind of kid everyone notices.

The truth is, though, he stands out but it is for more reasons than his unusual haircut. He stands out because of his personality. He doesn't meet a stranger. And, he's the kind of person that is a friend to everyone.

So, it wasn't a real surprise the other day when I was picking up my daughter from school when a boy asked if I was Thomas's mom. I replied, "Yes," of course. But, what surprised me was what he said next: "Thomas is my best friend."  I had never seen this boy before. Hesitantly (because I wasn't sure if this would offend him), I asked the boy his name. He told me... and I had never heard of him. I told him it as great to meet him and I went about my way.

Later in the day, I asked Thomas about the boy. I told him that he said Thomas was his best friend and Thomas just smiled. Thomas told me he was nice. So, I asked if he would like to have him over sometime. The response was, "Uuuuh, no..." Now, wait a minute, I thought to myself. So, I asked why. He said, "Weeell, the thing is, he picks his nose. A lot. He's nice, but..."

We talked about him a little bit more but there wasn't a lot to say. Thomas was his friend and he was good with it.

Later, much later- a few days later- I found myself thinking about this relationship. I'm not sure if it is simple or complex. It's simple for Thomas but it seems complex because the relationship means much more to the other kid. I decided that is okay that way. I am glad that Thomas is the type of friend that he is. He is kind. He is a good friend. He does not try to be more than he is. I like that.