Friends :: Treasure Them

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"Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light." ~ Helen Keller

I've been thinking about friendship lately. How important they are to us human beings. (And even to animals-see pic above-doesn't that look like they're having an awesome conversation? :)

I really do believe that friendship is an integral part of living life in general. Oh, I suppose we could still survive if we didn't have friends, but we would be awfully lonely. And sad. That's not what this life is made for! This life we live is so fleeting and short, we only have so many years available to us. In those short years-shouldn't we grab hold of the things that make us happy? That help us walk one more step on the days we struggle to move even one foot in front of the other?

That's what friendship is for.

A listening ear, a supporting arm, an encouraging cheer, a wordless hug, a distracting story.

Small parts of such a huge and complicated thing.

People we have a close and intimate relationship with. We can talk or rant about anything and everything under the sun. This can include someone we see on a daily basis or someone we see only once in a great while or even someone online. The kind of friendship that no matter how long it's been since you talked last, it's easy to pick back up again and start chatting freely. Even if you've never met in real life, you can still feel the connection.

A few weeks ago, I was privileged to witness a friendship in action. One man was lying on his deathbed, the end of life literally only minutes away (although we didn't know it at the time), and the second man was just stopping by to visit. This second man spoke to me about several things these two had experienced together, and all the while he held his friend's hand and spoke to him occasionally. Simply wanting him to know he was there. He never left his side the entire visit and when the end came, he was still there. Right by the side of his friend.

I want that! I want to have friends so dear to me that they'll drop everything to be beside me when I need them. I want to be by their side when they need me! That is a truly beautiful thing to behold. A thing to be treasured.

Friends should be treasured! We should take care of one other. We should support one another and encourage one another.

I don't know if all my jumbled thoughts are making any sense at all. But I just want to encourage someone else as I've been encouraged. Treasure those people around you who care about you! Whether in real life or online, it doesn't matter.

Treasure them. Appreciate them.

And tell them so.

That right there is a biggie. Tell them so. Let them know exactly how much they mean to you. Because they mean a lot, don't they? Imagine where your life would be without them! A whole lot emptier. So tell them. Whenever and however you can. Tell them.

No matter what, having a friend beside you makes life bearable.