Friendship

Time has a remarkable way of illuminating the nature of friendship.  Here are some stories about this concept.

Beautiful Things

by Amalia

Over the years I have learned that friendship is one of the most beautiful things in life, without friends life would be dull and sad.  

When you have happy moments in your life you want to live them with my friends. 

When you are unhappy, just to be able to have someone to listen, who helps you sort it out - what can be better than that? 

Being a friend for someone who is having a difficult time, to lend them courage, is a great blessing.   That courage is repaid many times over.

Life wouldn’t have the same meaning without friends.

Trying to understand each other is very important in friendships.  The gift of learning from each other is the best gift life can give us.  

Of course, it is very fortunate if you have friends that have the same ideals, but even if you find people who think differently from you, you will learn from them too. 

This requires not being hasty to jump to judgement.  Take your time and learn what it is and how it is people think.   Why does this matter to them?  Should it matter to me?  These are questions I ask myself and then try to answer.

If you are young you can learn from older people, if you are old you can learn from younger people.

Friends should be a stew for learning, different ingredients and different tastes but all together a rich experience. 

Unikely Friendships

by Margot

“Stranger than fiction” comes to mind when I think of my dear friend Merryl.  About 51 years ago my family (husband and 2 daughters) moved into a small apartment in Johannesburg.  It was very comfortable and had an imitation fireplace with built in cupboards on either side.  On opening one of the cupboards I found a Scrabble game in excellent condition.   This game remained with me through all our moves and finally came with us to Canada, 21 years after being found.

After we were in Calgary for about a year, wee were invited for Sunday tea by a friend and there met Merryl and her family who had newly arrived from Johannesburg.  Of course the conversation immediately was “Where did you life in Joburg?”   “Did you know so and so?”

It turned out that my husband and I had rented the apartment when Merryl had vacated it and accidentally forgot her scrabble game which I, of course, with much laughter, refused to return to her.  We have since enjoyed a wonderful friendship and are convinced of the magical properties of our scrabble board, a game we play often.

Friendship

By Bob

As I look back at my youth, it is easy to see the times when I established a mutual relationship that seemed to last forever:  Kids living in the neighbourhood that I’d play with on a regular basis, Class mates and buddies playing the same sports. There was always a sense of the other person being there for you at your time of need. They were happy times.

I feel privileged to have been able to find a friend everywhere I went.  The true friends reached out to stay in contact, and brought a sense of peace and joy to my heart when we shared our experiences.

Life seemed so simple years ago. I think there was more common sense at that time.  There was an innocence and trust in everyone, and I felt safe and secure with my family.  I experienced familial love about age 15 when I left home for the first time to work on the SS Kingston, a lake Ontario cruise ship during my July/August school holiday.  I knew my Mom would be on the dock waving hello when the ship came to port, & again at the end of August when I had to go back to school.

When I joined the Air Force and went to boot camp I felt like a fish out of water. I was only 17 and life was fast paced, & I matured very quickly. After I graduated as an Air Gunner I was transferred overseas, and after operational training I became part of a 7 man Bomber Crew.  During most of the following year our crew lived, worked, and socialized together, & this created a strong bond of family.  We became like brothers and this closeness continued for many years after the war. We attended family crew reunions, got together for holidays & family celebrations, & shared our stories, reminiscing about our many blessings received from the Lord.

Good friendships are treasures that soothe the soul.