Friendship

Well we are coming near to the end of summer and by now you are probably ready to send your kids back to school, and get some peace and quiet at home. Have you been with them all the time so far this summer, or have you seen them darting out the door to be with their friends? Do you know who they are spending time with?

I remember friendship a lot during this time as we come to end of summer, we approach the fair time, and we see another season change. I spent a lot of time during the summer with my friends growing up, and I have learned a lot about who my friends really are. You should consider for your children, and for yourself as well, what a true friend is.

There is a true saying ‘there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother’ that I often think of when I think about the true friends God has blessed me with. My best friend that I have known for 24 years passed away this summer and it has given me much time to reflect on what I valued in our friendship. He was there through all the different phases of my life, and other friends came and went quickly compared to his faithful friendship to me.

When I was about 15 or so I remember roaming the fairgrounds at the Geauga County fair and finding all sorts of new people that I thought would be exciting and ‘cool’ to be with. Fortunately I realized that those new found ‘friends’ really weren’t my friends when fair time was over. They quickly forgot me, and next year it was a real coincidence if they even remembered my name.

I often like to walk the fairgrounds now during fair time and see all the kids walking together who are having such a wonderful time together. I don’t think that they always realize the path that they are on is going to lead them into trouble if they follow the temporary & shallow friends they have today. All of us, and especially our children, need to know what friends really are.

A true friend sticks with you when you are unpopular, and not fun to be around. A true friend loves you and accepts you the way you are, and will give you their last dollar, and share their last meal. A true friend goes through the good times of life, and also the worst times that life brings you. The measure of the friends you have around you is faithfulness and kindness. You true friends are the ones you can call at any hour of the night, and they are the ones who help you move, and take you in when you need somewhere to go. I think as you review your life and the friends you have, and the friends you want your children to have, you will see that a one, two, or maybe three friends will be enough if they are the quality of friends that you need. The real question also becomes, are you that kind of friend to others? You cannot be a friend to everyone, we all do have many acquaintances, but we ought to choose our friendships carefully. The seasons of friendship change as well, so when you have a true friend, value them, cherish them, and thank God for the amazing blessing he has given you. As CS Lewis once said “Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: What! You too? I thought I was the only one.” Common experience and life together is one of the things that makes friendship one of the most valuable things we have in life. I hope we all may have true and lasting friendships.