I have been very blessed to have good friends in my life. I don’t need a lot of friends, but the friends I have are wonderful. One person in particular is Ernie. I have known him for most of my life.

We attended the same elementary school in Hunter, Utah, now part of West Valley City. He was two years older than me.

I saw Ernie often, either riding the bus or when I was riding my bike through his neighborhood. I lived on a country road about two blocks from the school. I remember Ernie played the trombone and would get on the bus in junior high carrying it with him. My brother, who was a year older than me in school, would often eat lunch with Ernie and a group of their friends. I would hear them laughing in the corner of the lunchroom and sometimes wish I could eat at their table.

I had no idea then that one of those boys at the table would eventually become one of my closest lifelong friends.

In my early twenties, Ernie and I attended the same young adult church. We became fast friends. Ernie went from being the kid who had attended the same schools as me to someone I really got to know.

I bought a house, and Ernie became one of my roommates. This was one of my favorite parts of being single because I had good friends and good roommates around me every day. Ernie was a great support to me and even took it upon himself to collect the rent. We had a great time. We took turns cooking meals and enjoyed double dating with the women at church.

One time we went to Zion National Park together and discovered that we both enjoyed the outdoors, long hikes, and camping. While in Zion, we hiked the Angels Landing trail. It is a long hike that becomes dangerous near the top.

We made it!

On the way down, I have never liked putting on the brakes and taking things slow. I ended up getting through the difficult section of Angels Landing much quicker than Ernie.

Ernie still laughs when he tells the story. He said, “I asked some people on the trail, ‘Have you seen a guy with a Hawaiian shirt on?’ They said, ‘You will never catch up to him. He is probably halfway down the mountain by now!’”

He eventually saw me waiting for him and was happy I hadn’t gone down the mountain alone.

Another time, Ernie went camping with me and my sons. It was a stormy night, and we literally got washed out of our tent. Water came rushing in and soaked everything. We spent the night wet and miserable, but somehow those are often the memories that become the funniest.

We still laugh about that camping trip today.

We both have children who are close to the same age. It has been fun to watch them grow up together and become productive, wonderful adults. One of the blessings of a long friendship is seeing not only your own family grow but also watching your friend’s family grow alongside yours.

Four years ago, Ernie and his wife moved to North Ogden with two of their adult children. Even though we live farther apart now, we continue to support each other and enjoy finding hiking trails halfway between our homes. Some friendships fade with distance, but ours has only grown stronger over time.

Another thing I treasure is our regular phone calls. We don’t have to talk every week to stay connected. We simply pick up where we left off. Over the years, our conversations have covered family, work, faith, challenges, and plenty of laughter.

One tradition that has especially meant a lot to me is our nontraditional birthday song. Every year, we call each other on our birthdays and sing our own version of “Happy Birthday.” It probably wouldn’t win any music awards, but it has become one of those small traditions that reminds me how much our friendship means.

Those birthday phone calls have meant the world to me.

Ernie is truly a one-in-a-million kind of friend. I am grateful for the adventures, the laughter, the support, and all the memories we have shared. I have known Ernie for more than 55 years, and we have been close friends for over 40 of those years.

Friendship isn’t usually built through one grand moment. It is built through hundreds of ordinary ones—a shared meal, a miserable night in a wet tent, waiting for your friend on a mountain, a phone call on a birthday, or simply knowing someone will still be there after all these years.

Looking back, I realize that one of the greatest blessings in my life has not been a place or a possession, but the gift of a faithful friend.

Did you miss last week’s Stories That Made Me? Read the Fundraiser, a story about a simple act of generosity from my childhood—and a lesson that stayed with me long after the candy was gone.