Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Friendships old and new


Today turned out to be an occasion for rekindling some old friendships and even for discovering some new ones. Friendships are struck when we discover partners for the journey of life. Some come and go for a moment in time while others may be separated by distance but never lose their ardor. Still others may not even keep in touch for extended periods of time, but when they do have the occasion to visit, it's like they were never apart.

Although we may have many dozens of aquaintences, there will probably be a far less number of these who we would characterize as friends, and from among the friends, if we are truly lucky, there are one or two who become trusted soul mates. These varying levels of association seem to be a part of the fabric of human life, and the sooner we learn the wisdom of this numbering the greater the chances that we will truly learn to value and appreciate the gift of friendships shared, moments of togetherness, gestures given and received and all other things simple and not so simple that we offer to those who are dear to us.

As friendships deepen, they become more and more a process of trusting the other. We may begin by sharing seemingly inconsequential details about likes and dislikes, but if friendships survive the test of time, they will be increasingly privvy to deeper and deeper levels of trust. The human heart will only risk this level of sharing with those it trusts, with those it feels comfortable with, but this natural tendency to be wary about the level of comfort is also the heart of the devastation of betrayal, a wound that srikes to the heart of the matter and often tears friendships apart with the force of a bomb.

Cherish therefore, those who are most dear, and be attentive to the possibility that even older friendships may be reawakened on occasion. Sometimes we are given rare opportunities to rekindle friendships which may have fallen into the cracks. If that opportunity should present itself, don't pass it up lightly.

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