I've had many friends in my life that have stayed with me throughout. Some come and go, the natural ebb and flow of relationships throughout the decades, spouses and children thrown into the mix, but some of those friendships have endured my half century of meandering.
My wife for instance, I can not understand why she has traveled with me on this journey, It's been a rough road, and she could have, and probably should have left my side long ago, but she hasn't even wavered in her steadfast gaze not even in the total darkness of our worst hours.
The list of my constant companions has changed, but the list of my friends has only grown over the years. I have had only one true constant companion that hasn't changed in the last 32 years and that is my beautiful, smart and caring wife Peggy. Ever at my side through the sunshine and the darkness. And believe me when I say darkness, I mean total darkness. Death and loss of love-ones, the attacks from both within and from outside. The betrayal of family members. And of course the darkest moments on our little jaunts outside bounds of what society considers "acceptable" or "legal". And I'd rather have no one else at my side in a fight than her. And believe me, I have some fierce and steady companions whom I would trust with my life, but no one who has been tempered in the firestorm of turmoil and difficulty of this life, like my beloved wife.
I do not, and probably can not, express how much she means to me.
I'm amazed at how many people truly believe that they have some of the friends that they think they have. In this age of social media, an acquaintance is considered a friend. But why? Just because someone is friendly towards you on Facebook, doesn't mean that they will psychically stand with you while you bury your love one, or literally stand with you while your are being arranged in a court room. Hold your hand or your head while your wounds are being sewn up. That's the measure of true friendships. Someone who will physically defend you in your greatest time of need. Those are true friends, not someone who "pokes" you on your "dashboard" or writes on your "wall". I'm talking about someone who will hold the flashlight in the rain while you bury an unfortunate mistake, and not judge the circumstances that led you there. I have those friends! Their reading this now, and I want to thank them, and I want them to know that I love them too.
What kind of friends do you have!
To my children I say, Go do something, Live Life, don't just sit around waiting for life to happen, Live it, embrace it, and you will meet those travelers on their life journeys, and maybe some will walk with you. And a few will stand with you in your time of tribulation, just as you will come to want to stand with them when that kind of darkness descends on them. And maybe you'll come to understand that, those are your friends. Not the casual tweet, or the daily text, not the person you rarely even see but for their "profile" pictures. Make some true friends, and the only way to do that is to take that journey and embrace those who you find traveling with you.
My wife for instance, I can not understand why she has traveled with me on this journey, It's been a rough road, and she could have, and probably should have left my side long ago, but she hasn't even wavered in her steadfast gaze not even in the total darkness of our worst hours.
The list of my constant companions has changed, but the list of my friends has only grown over the years. I have had only one true constant companion that hasn't changed in the last 32 years and that is my beautiful, smart and caring wife Peggy. Ever at my side through the sunshine and the darkness. And believe me when I say darkness, I mean total darkness. Death and loss of love-ones, the attacks from both within and from outside. The betrayal of family members. And of course the darkest moments on our little jaunts outside bounds of what society considers "acceptable" or "legal". And I'd rather have no one else at my side in a fight than her. And believe me, I have some fierce and steady companions whom I would trust with my life, but no one who has been tempered in the firestorm of turmoil and difficulty of this life, like my beloved wife.
I do not, and probably can not, express how much she means to me.
I'm amazed at how many people truly believe that they have some of the friends that they think they have. In this age of social media, an acquaintance is considered a friend. But why? Just because someone is friendly towards you on Facebook, doesn't mean that they will psychically stand with you while you bury your love one, or literally stand with you while your are being arranged in a court room. Hold your hand or your head while your wounds are being sewn up. That's the measure of true friendships. Someone who will physically defend you in your greatest time of need. Those are true friends, not someone who "pokes" you on your "dashboard" or writes on your "wall". I'm talking about someone who will hold the flashlight in the rain while you bury an unfortunate mistake, and not judge the circumstances that led you there. I have those friends! Their reading this now, and I want to thank them, and I want them to know that I love them too.
What kind of friends do you have!
To my children I say, Go do something, Live Life, don't just sit around waiting for life to happen, Live it, embrace it, and you will meet those travelers on their life journeys, and maybe some will walk with you. And a few will stand with you in your time of tribulation, just as you will come to want to stand with them when that kind of darkness descends on them. And maybe you'll come to understand that, those are your friends. Not the casual tweet, or the daily text, not the person you rarely even see but for their "profile" pictures. Make some true friends, and the only way to do that is to take that journey and embrace those who you find traveling with you.
