Cherish Friendship

I have spoken about the role of family in your life, now I will discuss friendship. I will quote again the Sunscreen song - "Understand that friends come and go, but for the precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle because the older you get, the more you need the people you knew when you were young." I believe this has an important message. It allows you to realize that you will not always come in contact with true friendship, but when you do, cherish it. Work toward maintaining that relationship, no matter where you move or the lifestyle you have. I moved to Columbus six years ago. I haven't been out of high-school all that long (even though it feels like forever), but I have already fell out of contact with some friends that I really cared about. It happens. However, Sarah Maidon and Kristen Shoemaker, I speak to on a daily basis- usually on our drive to work, bright and early in the morning. Sarah lives in Atlanta, Georgia, and somehow we still know everything that is going on in each other's lives. Even though I have made best friends here in Columbus, they did not know who I was before I moved here. It is nice to have friends that you are able to reminisce with. It's nice to have friends that know your past. It reminds you of who you were and how far you have come.

When you hit a hard patch in your life, it becomes more apparent who your true friends are. These are the people that you need to work hard to continue to strengthen the relationship you have with. It becomes evident the amount of support that you surrounded yourself with...and sometimes people come out of the woodwork and surprise you. Appreciate them.

At the same time, the opposite can happen. A friend deceives you or hurts you... Yes, a bond was broken. It is like a paper torn in half, you are able to use tape to put the paper back together...but you will always be able to see the tape that holds the pieces together. Forgive. You will not always be able to forget, it will be in your rear view mirror. However, grudges are negative in a person's life... whether you tell yourself it doesn't have any effect on you or not. It is negative energy. You hear of friends that we're close for so long and at one point one feels betrayed & they break all ties; no longer communicate... no longer know the ups-and-downs of each other's lives. No closure was even made. Deep down, if you were really the friends that you were, there is a sadness from missing the other person. There is things each person would have done differently, whether they admit it or not. Deep down, there are feelings hidden. Again, those feelings have a negative effect on your life... it effects how you approach friendships in the future. You automatically carry an unknown guard on the friendships you create and even the one's you already had. If something happened to that person..Is there something you wished you would have said? Would you regret not hearing them out? Would you place guilt on yourself for a friendship that never was mended. Would you wish that there was tape on that torn paper, or two separate pieces? It's something to think about.

Everyone makes mistakes. My junior year of high-school, I went through a hardship with Sarah Maidon. I was so hurt. This fight lasted months and to this day, I can honestly say that was one of the hardest time periods I faced in high-school. We were forced to sit down and talk about the situation. Now, I am so thankful we did. We forgave, but it changed our friendship. We had to build our trust back up in each other... and we did. To this day, we are still close. I would have missed out on so many memories with Sarah if I held a grudge for the things that happened. If someone lets you down - forgive them. It may change your friendship, but if you keep the grudge or the feelings in, eventually it will change who you are.

As time passes, it becomes more and more apparent the type of friends you want to surround yourself with. Positivity. You want to grow as an individual and you should surround yourself with people that allow you to do so. Yesterday, we talked about building a legacy for yourself... an impression that you leave on the  people you leave behind. Who in your life has made an impression on you? Who has changed you? Who has influenced you to be a better person? Those are the people you want in your life... Keep those people closer than others. Cherish them.

LOVE ALL. TRUST FEW. DO WRONG TO NO ONE. -William Shakespeare

 "Love all." Do not allow yourself to have resentment or hatred towards anyone. This only causes negative effects on your character. See the good in people. "Trust few." Though you see the good in all, there are only a few that you will deem a TRUE friend. Only put trust in those who earn it. "Do wrong to no one." Be the friend that you want to see in others.

Words can not express the appreciation I have for my friends. I Love You.