Calvin Williams was in the fourth grade when a white boy from Oregon enrolled in his class at Whitfield Elementary School in Jackson, Mississippi. Calvin was friendly to the newcomer and they remain friends today—thirty-seven years later.

My son, Mel, says: "One of the things that is so striking about my relationship with Calvin is the simplicity and impact of his offer of friendship. When I entered Whitfield I was one of only a handful of white kids in the entire school. Calvin loved me as he loved himself, his friends became my friends. I understand the temptation to exclude those who are different and am so grateful that I have experienced the joy of acceptance and a friend like Calvin."

We lived in Jackson from December 1978 until June 1981 when we moved back to Oregon. Obviously time and distance had an effect on their connection, but they did not lose track of each other. When Calvin got married, Mel and his wife, Marta, were there. A year or two ago Mel told me Calvin was getting into the movie industry and doing some acting.

Last week I had the chance to see Calvin on my television screen when we watched the new version of Roots produced by the History Channel. He was one of the people in the wedding scene when Kunta Kinte and Bell got married.

A couple of weeks ago when I learned that my daughter Heidi was a Facebook friend with Calvin, she gave me a link so I was able to find him among the “Calvin Williams” options and I sent him a friend request. When he messaged me back, he told me he had talked with Deborah Perkins that day and she related to him the memory of watching the original Roots at our home in Jackson.

I share these thoughts about lasting connections as a way to honor and celebrate relationships. Calvin and Mel provide one example of the ways my family and I have been greatly blessed by friendships that stand up well despite distance and infrequency of direct contact. It makes me think of one of the ways grace is defined: unmerited favor.