The Gift Of Friendship

Friends for a reason, friends for a season, friends for life.

Glorious morning!

Today I would like to expand on a quote from Socrates.

“ There is no possession more valuable than a good friend “ ,

A great quote from Socrates. Who is socrates? Well he goes back a bit, he was born c. 470 BCE and died in 399 BCE. He was an ancient Greek philosopher whose way of life, character, and thought exerted a profound influence on Classical antiquity and Western philosophy. He was a widely recognized and controversial figure in his native Athens.

The quote speaks very true to me, as I am blessed to have many good friends. I just had dinner with a good friend that I have known since the 9th grade, and we just have a family type of soul connection. I couldn't imagine her not being in my life in some way. Although there have been some long time spans over the years that we didn't see or talk to each other due to navigating our own families and personal lives, she was always in the background of my thoughts and I in hers. That to me is more like a family member. There was a saying I heard some years back that said there are 3 types of friends. Friends for a reason, friends for a season, and friends for life. She is definitely a friend for life. If something happened and she needed me on the fly , she knows she could call me and , boom! I would be there and visa versa. That to me is family. Other types of friendships are just as valuable, just in different ways. Friends for life, are gifts that teach us unconditional love.

Friends for a reason are the friends who come into your life for a learning curve that you need to go through, could be a self love lesson for you , in other words, that particular friend may be using you when it's convenient for them to get something and they only call when things are going rough and they want your sympathies, but when things are going good and you need them, they don't show up for you. Time to let that friendship go, yes? By letting a friendship like that go helps both parties involved. One of them clearly does not know how to be selfless and can only think of their own needs, so by letting that friend go may help that friend realize that any relationship has give and take. That friend needs to learn how to get out of themselves and learn how to serve. The friend that let them go is learning self love. By declaring you deserve the same level of care and concern that you give is a commitment to a healthy self esteem boundary. We all need healthy boundaries to live a balanced life. A one sided friendship is unbalanced. The friends for a season are those friendships that develop for , well…., a season. Like at the workplace when you meet coworkers and have what's called your ‘ work family “

These types of friendships are typically ones where you hang out with them at work but not necessarily outside of work. They make our work life more enjoyable and we learn how to help and support each other as a team, and yes we may also unload our personal challenges over lunch and support each other that way. A Lot of times when we leave that job, those friendships get left behind as well. Not because we don't like them, but because we are starting a new chapter with some new work friends. Sometimes we meet friends for a season, who help us meet a person they know that turns out to be pivotal in our career advancement, or even another job. Whatever the reason, friendships are gifts and fellow travelers in this crazy ride called life.

I have some friendships now that I have only met a couple years ago and I already know they are friends for life. God doesn't stop giving when we are open and willing to receive. Learning how to be a friend to others takes selflessness and an open heart. One friend we all know that is a friend for life is our own self. Being your own best friend first is a model of how your friends will receive you. The more we love ourselves, the better friend we can offer to another.

Do you struggle or someone you know struggles at maintaining friendships? Backpack therapy can help get to the root of why that is happening. Make a free discovery call today. Peace be with you, Dawn

Discovery Call

Book Now