8 Blogs in 8 Weeks #6

 As I pass the halfway point in my journey through the 8 infusions that will hopefully bring my kidney disease under control, I have been thinking a lot about Friendships and how really good friends are made and continue through thick and thin.

Rabbi Merle Singer recently wrote a Blog (wordswithmerle.blogspot.com) about friendships in which he said:

    "I firmly believe the molecules of friendship are commitment, compassion, being there for another in the good and challenging moments, being a helping hand, the supportive voice, and offering consistency in kindness.  I would be foolhardy to state that friendships do not have their own battles and mishaps, but it is how we address those situations with a tender and forgiving heart that define the person we are or aspire to be."

I have had a lot of friends in my lifetime. But, outside of family, I can count on one hand those friends that are truly "Best Friends."  An old joke says that a friend is one that will always bail you out of jail as a result of you doing something crazy or stupid.  A Best Friend, though, will be sitting next to you in jail saying, "Well, that sure was a lot of fun!"

During my latest journey, I have had many old friends reach out to me.  Friends from  my childhood, high school, college and earlier times in my life.  Some I haven't talked to or heard from for a number of years and it has been great reconnecting, reflecting and catching up.  I am grateful for their friendship and have enjoyed those snippets of conversation, texts and even the Facebook messages.

My wife is truly my Best Friend and ultimately the one person I can always count on no matter my grouchiness, my good and bad moods or my emotional swings  My 3 brothers count not only as my siblings but have always been among my best friends.  And I am so happy that both of my adult kids and spouses are my friends beyond the parent-child dynamic.  My couple of other "Best Friends" know who they are and I know they will go to the end of the earth for me and vice-versa.

Being a friend and being friendly are two totally different things.  We should all be friendly, but being a friend take a commitment beyond just smiling and being nice.  There is a give and take in friendship and you should be willing to give MORE that take in order to be a good friend.  A true friend gives support without judgement, comes through in a crisis and usually knows just what to say when it matter most. Friendships are an essential ingredient in a happy life, so we should all give them the attention and care they deserve.

Friendship is when someone knows ALL about you but likes you anyway, as a true friend accepts who you are, but also help you become who you should be.

I will end with a quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson:

    The only way to have a friend is to be one."

And The Journey continues........