Friendship from The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran (selected sections)
"Your friend is your needs answered.
He is your field which you sow with love and reap with thanksgiving.
And he is your board and your fireside.
For you come to him with your hunger, and you seek him for peace.
.....For without words, in friendship, all thoughts, all desires, all expectations are born and shared, with joy that is unacclaimed....
that which you love most in him may be clearer in his absence.....
let there be no purpose in friendship save the deepening of the spirit."
For some reason I am feeling sentimental today and thinking about all the wonderful beautiful friends I have had over my lifetime. Some are still with me. Others have moved on, some to the great beyond. New ones arrive with frequency and I am struck by how they always seem to be the perfect person at the perfect time.
So I wanted to take a moment out of my life to say how grateful I am for my friends. I am privileged to have friends from very young ages to very old ones and all ages in between. They all are loved and cherished by me. Each one brings me some enlightenment and joy. Thanks to the computer age I now have internet friends, ones I’ve never met nor am not likely to, but with whom I connect on some level, sharing thoughts and feelings and life stories. How amazing is that!
Then there are the friends who have taught me really hard lessons, like boundaries, or standing up for myself. Their friendship comes in different wrapping but they are just as valuable if not more so than those who are easy to be with and with whom I laugh readily. The ones who wound me are my beloved teachers who love me enough to hurt me. They love me enough to try to teach me lessons that are hard to learn. I hope I have been a good student, making their efforts worthwhile.
So today, Sunday, I am grateful for them all, in all their packaging. I am so fortunate and blessed to call so many wonderful people friend.
Tell me about your friends and how you view friendship.
Posts
What a great post, Diantha. I just recently thought the same thing - I am so grateful for my friends in every age group and many different countries in the world. Whenever we travel, we get to see good friends - it's a wonderful feeling! We are also noticing how many of our good friends are starting to connect and form friendships of their own. It's a beautiful thing. I'm also grateful for new blogging friends like you!! Hugs, Silke
ReplyDeleteMe too, Silke, me too! It is amazing to me how fond I have become of my new blogging friends! I eagerly go to the blogs to find out what is happening, what you all are thinking, what struggles, what triumphs etc. etc. That connection is very strong and yet done through the internet. How amazing! How lucky we are!
ReplyDeleteFriendship is a sacred trust. A friend is someone I can be myself with, whichever face I choose to have on in that moment, and with whom I will be accepted regardless. A friend is someone who may challenge me from time to time, with love and my best interests at heart, never out of spite or ill-intention. A friend, I've found, is someone who often sees me as bigger than I see myself and who is my biggest supporter.
ReplyDeleteI love this, Carolynn. Beautifully and simply expressed. .."to be accepted regardless...who may challenge me from time to time...who often sees me bigger than I see myself..." brilliant words. And so true....Thank you! xo diantha
ReplyDeleteWhat a stirring poem Diantha!
ReplyDeleteI love this line:
"...let there be no purpose in friendship save the deepening of the spirit."
Right now, at this stage in my life, my internet friends are my most cherished possessions.
It is a long, long, long story but suffice it to say that I've lost may so-called friends because I choose to be me instead of any of them.
I'm yet to understand why some people can only be your friends if you are willing to follow their lead, think their thoughts and feel their feelings.
Moving on...
I've known the most unconditional acceptance in the blogosphere these past three years.
Amazing!
Cheryl, I think I can guess your long story...sounds like my own! It is so important to be who we are instead of who other people want us to be. I did that for way too long and it cost me quite a bit from health issues to emotional ones. I for one support you and say BRAVA to you for the courage you had to move into the true you. If you aren't the true you, your friends will fall away anyway. Now you have found true friends who celebrate who you really are. Tough road to follow but you've done it! I am proud to call you friend, Cheryl.
ReplyDeleteYou are such a sweetie! I sure would consider myself blessed to call you my internet friend! And thank you for the reminder to be grateful for friends, lessons they have taught and all the fun times as well. We are social beings, meant to have friends and companions. It's nice to acknowledge that - and them! (See I'm gone on vacation but I'm sneakin in here just to see what you're up to, my friend!) :)
ReplyDeleteWow, now THAT is a friend, SuZen, to check in on vacation! Thanks! Loved your comments on friends, you must be a very good one! xo
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