2.01.2011

make new friends but keep the old



     Lately, I have been feeling a large amount of gratitude for the many influential people in my life: friends.  For me, they are the people I turn to in good times and in bad.  It is difficult to put into words how much I appreciate them and all that they have done for me.

     Unfortunately, in the past, there have been several times when I have lost touch with good friends due to various reasons.  But more often than not, those reasons should not have had the power to disconnect me from people who made a lasting, positive impact on my life.  There are many factors that can affect and have a negative impact on a friendship but most of the time it is how we respond to those factors that determines whether or not we will be able to forgive and forget.  Sometimes we expect too much of each other, sometimes we make promises that we cannot keep, and sometimes we say things that should have been left unsaid.  But in the end, we need to remember that everyone makes mistakes and most of the time, people want to be forgiven.  Most of the time, people want to be trusted and most of the time, people deserve to be trusted.

     James L. Fredericks said, "Much of the vitality in a friendship lies in the honouring of differences, not simply in the enjoyment of similarities."  We all come from different backgrounds, have different thoughts and different opinions, but we all have the potential to affect one another in a positive way.  It is up to us whether or not we will allow people to get to know us and allow ourselves to get to know them, whether or not we will choose to look past flaws and forgive mistakes and whether or not we will find the good in people and let it rule out the bad.  And if we choose to do these things, we might just find someone we call a friend.