Friendship

This is a repost of an article that was published back in January and inspired by my Friend Luke Henry.

Everyone hears what you say. Friends listen to what you say. Best friends listen to what you don't say.

Friendship is a distinctively personal relationship that is grounded in a concern on the part of each friend for the welfare of the other, for the other's sake, and that involves some degree of intimacy. As such, friendship is undoubtedly central to our lives, in part because the special concern we have for our friends must have a place within a broader set of concerns, including moral concerns, and in part because our friends can help shape who we are as persons.

Developing friendships can be difficult in today’s society. Who can you trust with the intimate details of your life?  Who is not just out there to use you and then discard you once they achieve their goal? We face this every day and moving to a new location only emphasizes the difficulty of meeting and making new friends.

Yet there are times in your life that you happen to talk to a person for short time, then by chance meet them again. You talk and in only a few moments of conversation you know in your heart that this is a good person and worthy of exploring a friendship. I have had this awesome experience a few times in my life that only after a brief conversation knew that person and I would become long lasting friends.

This recently occurred and I know my life has been enriched by meeting this person.  This new found friend is someone that I instantly felt comfortable to open my life too and have developed a close connection within just a short time.  They say the Good Lord places people in our lives at certain times for a reason and I believe this to be the case.

For there is no other reason I can think of that we would meet; start developing such a great friendship and then he is diagnosed with Cancer.  I felt cheated, upset, and simply royally pissed off. I mean why him and why now.  God knows I don’t make friends easily; this hillbilly can be a difficult person to deal with to say the least.  So yes, I was a little ticked off.

Since my Mom’s passing, I call upon her for guidance; she after all is one of my guardian angels. As I was talking to her the other night, this beautiful white tail Doe walks out of the woods and comes within 20 feet of me. She did not run off but simply stood there and stare directly at me. For me that was the sign I needed, I knew I was on the right path at this juncture in my life.

I knew in my heart what I had to do, first I had to come to terms with the fact that my friend was in a crisis.  The next thing was simple; to have friends you have to be one and I am determined to be the best friend this individual has ever had in his life. 

Of course, I have teased him because you know laughter is the best medicine; He now has to deal with the stubborn Hillbilly who will badger him to stay motivated, positive and to take every day by the horns.  

The following are two quotes that really hit home for me when it comes to friendship. The first is just one I think is cute yet true, the last one is one that is close to my heart and the way I feel about my friends.

“If all my friends were to jump off a bridge, I wouldn't jump with them; I'd be at the bottom to catch them.”

A friend is someone who, upon seeing another friend in immense pain, would rather be the one experiencing the pain, than to have to watch their friend suffer.
-- Amanda Gier

So yes, as always WE will Keep Dancin’ Larry B

A True Best Friend

Many people, not all, go through different best friends throughout life. I believe you can have several Best Friends at one time. However, usually a person only has one real, True Best Friend. Someone with whom one shares the strongest possible kind of friendship. I have been blessed to have found my True Best Friend here in Tennessee. 

This is a person that just in a matter of months there is such a deep bond that it seems that we have known each other for our whole life. In fact, I even over heard someone ask this friend if we had known each other since childhood. I realized then that our friendship was so strong that others assumed we had known each other for a lot longer than actually was the case.

This person knows what I’m thinking just by the look on my face. The connection is so strong that one word is complete sentences between us. We have such a connection; we know when the other is in distress or in need.  This is a person I love, have nicknames for each other, inside jokes and have pointless text-a-thons with everyday.

This friend is family and gives the opinion I care most about. A true best friend is the one who tells you the things you absolutely need to hear regardless of whether you want to hear it or not.  It is this friend that you can be around always and never get sick of.  This is the person you are grateful to have as a friend and confidant.

This true best friend is not only someone you have a good time with, it is also someone you know you can trust your life with. Someone you can totally be yourself around and not give a care in the world about your actions or feelings because they won't judge you for the stupid things you may do or say.

Yes, I have found my True Best Friend. It is said that God puts people in your life at specific times and you may not know the reason. I know this is true for God placed me with this remarkable individual to experience this ultimate friendship. For you see, my True Best Friend was diagnosed with stage four cancer not long after we met.  I questioned why God would place the two of us together at this time only to eventually take this wonderful relationship away. I realized it was not for me to question his reason but to make the most out of this fantastic friendship.

As a friend, as a care giver, I pledged to this True Best Friend that I was going to see him through this fight. I am there for him and his wonderful family to provide support, care and love. God placed us together at this time for this journey and I would not want to be anywhere else doing anything else but to be here with him.   I know I have a True Best Friend that I will always remember no matter what comes about. I may lose the only true best friend I will ever have, and even when I  get new "best friends" .. this old, real True Best Friend will always be on my mind and forever in my heart.

 For my True Best Friend. Luke A Henry. From the heart of your True Best Friend, the Bulldog!

Keep Dancin' Larry B.