As promised here is the blog all about friendship: Excuse me if I ramble on a bit.
"Friendship is the hardest thing to explain, it's not something you learn in school, But if you haven't learned the meaning of friendship, you really haven't learned anything."
Friendship for me has always been something that continuously intrigues me. Especially since we are told to love one another and always have a "friend" near by. However, events take place and people move on in their different and hectic lives, but those friends that we can argue with and in the end still be pretty close those are the friends that matter the most.
When I was young I learned that friends will almost definitely gossip about each other, but the key to whether the friend is real or not is if the things said is in kindness or in anger. That being said I also believe that some gossip can be good. But in my mind it is at that point not gossiping and then called concern. For example, let's use the names Jill & Bob & George. Now, Jill and Bob have gotten into a huge argument and George is having to handle and hear all about it from all side. He consistently hears from both Jill and Bob how much they care about each other, and how important their friendship is to each other. However, George also wants to keep it to himself, and then one day he decides Jill should know that Bob really does care. It is hard for Jill to understand, but in the end when all three of them have discussed things about one another their care for each other grows into a deeper bond. Friendship is an absolute amazing thing.
Recently I discovered the most beautiful and amazing thing for me. That was realizing that I have a friend that even when I felt like this friend was not listening that the truth was all I needed to do was give things time, and write down all that I needed to say. To sit with this friend as this friend read my letter. The power of words is amazing, and the power that words have written down is even more remarkable. In my mind the written word is sometimes stronger than the vocal word.
Friendship is about accepting differences, but being able to tell the truth when the truth is hard to tell.
To me respect for each other has always been huge. Especially when one of you knows you must tell the truth even if you are terrified of the consequences...
Time to get vulnerable: recently I had an argument with a really good friend of mine. For the sake of the innocent names will be left out. It was interesting to see more how I grew from all of it than how my friend is beginning to grow. I learned that in order for myself to say I was a good friend I would have to tell exactly how I felt about a few things, or continue to suffer in the same self-pity party. In all truthfulness my friend knew we had to have a conversation, but the conversation we had my friend was not prepared for. However, with help from my Heavenly Father everything is working out and I am sure in due time it will continue to go forward.
This moment in our friendship was probably one of the most influential because even though we had created a bond before it is my firm belief that because of the argument and because we both have been able to tell the absolute truth no matter the consequences the bond was made stronger. I love having friends, and I love learning from them as well. They teach me who I am deep down inside.
I love all of these quotes because I love friendships. I love the word friend and what it truly means to me. I love that it is something that not everyone truly understands. When you truly care about someone and you have a certain connection with that person it is so important to be honest and vulnerable. I have also learned that the most important place for boundaries is a friendship. Friendship to me is the guiding factor of all relationships we have in life. Even our enemies we have told at least one thing to in life and there is a reason they are now our "enemy." I love the concept that Christ lived by to love everyone. I love to think that he was everyone's friend. I know he is my friend and I am grateful for that. He has this unconditional love for us all because he went and suffered our pains and afflictions. It's really magnificent to think about. I am so grateful to the friends that have taught me so much. Even to the ones I don't talk to, and probably won't talk to for a long long time. I'm grateful to the friends that so lovingly pushed me to do what is hard and was hard. I know that if I am to continuously be going upward it is through friends that I meet here on earth that I will be able to do this. I love that I have had the privilege of always having siblings because they are truly the greatest friends we could ever ask for. I am also grateful to the few I call my "brothers" or "sisters". My "brothers" are wonderful and I am so glad they have come into my life. With all the arguments, craziness, awkward conversations, and everything that goes on with them I am eternally grateful! There are sooo many quotes on friendship and since I just love them all I am going to post them. I think honestly that it is all more powerful. Each one of these quotes has spoken to my heart, and I pray that it will speak to your's as well. :) I am however, going to probably talk about why each of them speaks specifically to me, and those things I have recently learned.
This is soo true. Much of the time we may go through grief in our lives, and friends are there to pick us up and help us become stronger! It is a wonderful feeling when laughter can make the hardest moments some of the most enjoyable moments.
This is probably one of the most important lessons to learn and most valuable things to realize. For me personally being from Louisiana having gone to college in Idaho and now living in Utah I have friends from all over the world. I love each of them no matter the distance between us, and I love that with technology it is easier to contact all of them.
This happens more often than I sometimes like to admit, but those friendships are probably the most magical I have ever seen. Honestly, in many ways that is how it is with my best friends... especially my best girl friend! She is amazing and I love that we are both sooo different, but yet sooo the same too!
This is something that is quite often hard. It isn't easy to tell your friend why you are angry or upset. Or that you don't like what is going on because you are afraid that in the end they will get hurt. You love your friends deeply because you've created a special bond, and that moment when you realize that you can be completely honest with them in everything the bond grows stronger. I love that I don't ever have to hold back. It is often hard to say what needs to be said, but I know that I can and that is most important.
I often wonder what Heaven will be like if we couldn't live with our friends and families. Probably a big reason why I love the Gospel of Jesus Christ so much! Friends are forever and you don't have to speak to them every day to realize that. It is the tiny and small acts of kindness and love and the thoughts that you know are going on that count. I love all of the friends I have ever had especially the ones I don't speak to as much any more. They have shaped who I am today, and who I continue to become.
I guess I didn't realize how true this statement was until I recently had my argument with my friend. It's interesting how friends can help us see what we already know is true, but yet we hide from the world because we are truly afraid of the image they have for us.
This is another good quote on forever friends. I am so grateful for them.
Friends bless our souls with compassion and love that we didn't know possible. Through arguments they teach how to love and grow even more than we thought possible.
When you have love in a friendship it is more magical than just telling someone you love them because you believe they want to hear it. It is said that you marry your best friend, and I firmly believe that. When you become friends with someone and get to know them your love for them grows as well. It's this everlasting growth that continues to just bond between the two of you, and the compassion you have for each other is a bond that no one will ever be able to break.
How appropriate that I end with Mother Theresa. She is such a magnificent woman. Friendship is definitely learned because it takes more than just listening and talking. It takes an argument. It takes hard lessons. It takes a battle between two hearts that are constant for the same goals in life. You are constantly helping them to become "perfect." I truly believe that if we didn't have friends we would all be helpless in this life. Friends are our beacons in life and our constant angels to guide us back to our Heavenly Father. Anyone that knows me knows exactly how religious I am. However, even I sometimes lack faith, but I do know that each one of us will always have at least one friend who will never leave us behind. That friend is Jesus Christ. From all that I know, and everything I continue to learn I am grateful to him for the sacrifice he made to be my friend. He is by far the most amazing friend anyone could ever ask for, and yet he asks for nothing in return. As I grow older I hope to show that same love for my friends as Christ shows for me. I am super grateful to the friends in my life, and the amazing love and support they so continuously have for me. :)
