Friends...

Amongst a million other things, I've been thinking a lot about my friends this past week...

I've had a shitty week for several reasons (that I am tired of dwelling on - maybe later I'll spill it all)... but I have to say that I am forever grateful to my friends for taking the time to listen to me and be there for me in person, by phone, or even via e-mail. When things aren't going the way you'd like, or for me, when life is in major transition, just the presence of people who truly care about and respect me (and not just because they're related to me by blood) is an enormous comfort and is what I cherish most about my relationships.

I hope the reason I have such good friends is because I really try to be one myself. And it's not always easy - some friends are more demanding than others and some require special care and attention. My relationships teach me and challenge me to be a better and stronger person - and for that I am immensely grateful. They say the mark of any good relationship is the ability to bring out the best in each other without manipulation or ulterior motive. Just as good relationships can have a positive impact on your life, stressful or imbalanced relationships can be draining and have a negative effect on you. A good and healthy relationship thrives on honesty, respect, communication, mutual caring and time spent together. When one or more of those elements is sorely missing, you have to wonder if the relationship is viable.

Well, anyway, I thank the many friends who make my life better by just being in it and who bring me a deep sense of joy and balance. On friendhsip, Kahlil Gibran says:

"And let there be no purpose in friendship save the deepening of the spirit.
For love that seeks aught but the disclosure of its own mystery is not love
but a net cast forth: and only the unprofitable is caught.

For what is your friend that you should seek him with hours to kill?
Seek him always with hours to live.
For it is his to fill your need, but not your emptiness.
And in the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter, and sharing of pleasures.
For in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed."

But... maybe the Beatles said it best:

"...and in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make"