LOVE & FRIENDSHIP
Friendships,
like family bonds, are all different. Some are casual and occasional while others are strong
and intense, each serving a purpose or filling a need. There are friends whose company we
enjoy because they are fun and make us laugh. There are others who share our interests in work or play
with whom we can commiserate, and there are those with whom we share our souls.
Every
friendship is a precious gift, to be valued and nurtured, whether it is casual,
intense, occasional, or constant.
We all have
friends whom we consider to be best friends; those special relationships
that transcend explanation and withstand all tests of time and distance. They are rare and should be cherished
and protected. These are the
people that have the potential to affect the way we view the world and/or
influence our behavior.
Occasionally
we find ourselves diametrically opposite to a dear friend on some major issue -
political, social, spiritual, or otherwise. That is when we discover the strength of those bonds that
are so difficult to describe; the friendship trumps all the differences.
Consciously
or unconsciously, friends strive to make one another feel good about
themselves, casting each other in a positive light, offering encouragement,
support, and when needed, defense.
I am
realizing now that the distinction I’ve held between friendship and love is
arbitrary and invalid. The two are
one in the same, and I am chagrined that it has taken me this long to learn
that.
There is a
line in the song, What a Wonderful World, that goes like this: “I
see friends shaking hands, saying how do you do? They’re really saying, I love
you.” Wouldn’t it me nice if we
treated everyone like a friend?
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