Friendship

What does friendship mean to you?  Websters Dictionary defines friendship as the state of being friends;  the quality or state of  being friendly.  For me friendship is the relationship I have with my friends, some are more casual while others are stronger and deeper.

If I were to make a list of all the people I know there would be a great number of names on that list, but I wouldn't categorize them all as friends, therefore I don't have a true friendship with them all.  I have some that would are simply acquaintances, others that are simply people I know but I have no actual relationship with them at all, and still others that I may be forced to associate with, but keep them at a distance and never develop any type of real relationship with at all.  While I choose to treat those people with respect and kindness, I would not consider there to be any type of friendship between them and myself.  I do, however, have many on that list of names that I am blessed to have friendship with.  

I feel that the best kinds of friendship are true and deep and sincere in every way.  They develop over time and mutual respect, and they grow and become stronger with time, care, and work.  Those special friendships don't require constant communication or constant attention, because they've lasted and grown over time.  When you have that kind of friendship you can go days, weeks, or even many months between contact and yet it's as if you were never apart.  You spend time catching up on what's happened in each others' lives but there's no time being guilted or pressured over time apart, because the friendship is too deep and too true to allow guilt in.  What a blessing you have if you have such a friendship with someone in your life! I have many of those friendships with church family and friends.  We get together only a few times a year, but our mutual faith and trust in God is what our friendship is based on and when we get together it's like a coming home of sorts.

Then there's the friendship of best friends.  That's a unique friendship like nothing else in the world.  It comes from supporting and encouraging during the most difficult times in ones' life as well as sharing the happiest of moments too.  It's a friendship that often can be deeper and stronger than blood, and is built on trust and honesty.  That kind of friendship can withstand great distances as well as long periods of time apart and those friends will NEVER doubt the love and purity of that friendship.  It's the kind that no matter how long it's been when your best friend calls and needs you, you will drop everything for them.  On many levels a best friend is a kind of soulmate.  

I'm so blessed to have all of these kinds of friendships in my life, and I hold each one of them in my heart.  They have all had a place in my life and will continue to be in my heart and mind as I walk this earth, whether I see them daily or rarely they all matter.  God bless my friends!