Friendship

By Dr. Ronald D. Bissell

AuthorsDen.com

Friendship is more than just being friends. It is a connection deep within the spiritual soul that is an unearned gift of love.

True friendship is seen through the heart not through the eyes. Unknown Friendship is one of those parts of life that we at times take for granted. It rolls off of our tongues as if we expect it to be present in all areas of our lives. I hear our friendship is forever or friends always is a common thread that runs through our lives. But in truth how many true friendships do you have? Think for a moment and list those you feel are true friends and those with which you have a close relationship. Are they true friends? Is their friendship from the heart? How many people do you truly see as friends? Friendship is a living thing that lasts only as long as it is nourished with kindness, empathy and understanding. Author Unknown Friendship is a gift that two people give to each other. It is not an expected result of meeting but a true and unanticipated gift of enormous potential. True friends form a special connection that will weather any storm. True friends understand being human and give the other room to grow. True friends are there even when they are not expected to be present. True friends know and cherish each others gift. Friendship is love with understanding. Author Unknown Friendship is a path of unrelenting compassion. It is a view of life that encompasses not just your life but the life of the other. It is a special bond that is created out of genuine affection and is given freely to those who have shown their truth. It is given without the thought of reward but with the essence of the heart which longs for this special connection. Life is to be fortified by many friendships. To love and to be loved is the greatest happiness of existence. Sydney Smith (1771 - 1845) When friendship comes from the heart it forms a link to our soul that cannot be broken. It connects so strongly that even death does not sever the cord. That type of friendship exists forever in the realm of wonder for true friendship is genuinely a wondrous thing. It connects the physical with the spiritual and creates an energy that is impossible to describe. False friendship, like the ivy, decays and ruins the walls it embraces; but true friendship gives new life and animation to the object it supports. Richard Burton

Friendship brings light into your world for it gives you the missing link to your soul. It provides a passageway from one heart to another and allows the transference of peace and solitude. Friendship gives and receives all that your innermost spirit desires for within friendship you will discover the Creators love. The best mirror is an old friend. George Herbert, 1651 When you look at your true friends you will uncover who you are. You will see a reflection of your soul and will in turn become educated in the pathway you follow. You will see your world before you and will see without any doubts the truth of your way. You see true friends are simply your self in disguise. By uncovering that disguise you see before your eyes the world you created and the being your have become. What is a friend? A single soul dwelling in two bodies. Aristotle (384 BC - 322 BC), from Diogenes Laertius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers By understanding the true value of a friend you begin to see the importance of looking at the reflection they provide and peering into the life you lead. You will see all the gifts you bring into the world as well as any shortcoming you may possess. You will also become a witness to the beauty, wonder, and peace that you give to the world and understand your contribution to the ongoing discoveries you will make. Remember, the greatest gift is not found in a store nor under a tree, but in the hearts of true friends. Cindy Lew Think of your true friends and be grateful for the gifts they bring to your life. Allow your hearts to connect and bring comfort to each other. Expand your world by seeing through their eyes. Give them your love in return for each friend you have is an unearned gift that should be accepted with grace and thankfulness. Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born. Anais Nin (1903 - 1977).

Friends and Friendship

by Dr. Bill Denton heartlight.org A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.
(Proverbs 17:17)

You can always tell a real friend: when youve made a fool of yourself, he doesnt feel youve done a permanent job. (Laurence J.
Peter)

A lot of people go through life with only a few friends. It seems that some have less than that. They have no one on whom they can call in good times or bad. There is no one with whom to bounce ideas around, or to talk about deep and troubling subjects. They have no one to call in times of need or difficulty. They are at the mercy of life, standing alone. Others seem to have a multitude of friends. Wherever they go, people know them, and like to be around them. Should trouble strike, their biggest hesitation might be over which friend to call. They know exactly the person with whom to discuss the topics of inquiry and debate. Life is full of entertaining and invigorating relationships because it is full of friends. There ought to be a course in school on friendship. Of course, some people are perfectly happy to operate with fewer friends. They might rather have a few deep and loyal friends, than many superficial ones. Others thrive best when friends are everywhere and numerous. It is not so much the number of friends that is important as is the possession of friends, period.
Friendship is a blessing, and a friend is the channel through whom great emotional, spiritual, and sometimes even physical blessings flow. Friends can cheer us when were sorrowful or depressed. Friends can challenge us when we allow ourselves to get beyond our Friendship is a reasonable boundaries. Friends can motivate blessing... us when were ready to give in, and they can provide for us when life falls apart. They are there when all is well, and we want someone with whom to share lifes pleasant and memorable moments. We often just want them around to have a good time, to laugh, to act silly, to enjoy some mutually liked activity. In how many ways have friends

enriched our lives and made us feel loved, accepted, respected and cared for? Probably, too many to list, and the list grows daily. It is safe to say that when God created the world and all the majestic things in it, when he streaked the heavens with radiant color and the earth with grand mountains and awe-inspiring canyons, when he painted the plains with waving grasses and erected noble forests of towering trees, he outdid it all by creating friends. Why not take a moment or two and thank someone today for being a friend to you? May God bless you with all the friends you need, and may he turn you into a blessing by using you as a friend to others.