A little while ago, I wrote about my perfect space. It was a gift from my daughter. But she has given me so much more than this gift of solitude.
She has given me true friendship. And that means someone who faces me when I am wrong, but encourages me when I am down. A friends who uplifts, shares ideas, and shares important interests with understanding.
…true friendship…that means someone who faces me when I am wrong, but encourages me when I am down
She allows me to encourage her in her artistic ventures. And she is raising an amazingly active family while pursuing her own career. I am very proud of her.
My other daughter is a photographer. Incredible artist talent. Her love of nature is something we both share, although mine at a much lower energy pace.
These two are beautiful. And they are, as they’ve grown up into their own lives, my best friends.
That’s not even mentioning the amount of incredible support from my sister!
And that is where the idea of real friendship begins. Inside the interpersonal relationships of the home.
Friendship in the making…
The family is where we learn about what a friend looks like. How we are treated in our closest relations determines our ability to relate to others beyond those four walls. Once we step out into the world beyond, what we have learned goes with us.
Being a friend doesn’t happen overnight. It takes a lot of testing over time.
As with anyone, whether family member or not, some of those tests proved the person to be untrustworthy. They would rebel, hate, antagonize, betray trust, and try to destroy someone who thought they were an ally. The pain of abandonment and deceit would create a wound of distrust toward anyone in the future. The testing would be more rigorous the next time, the examination of sincerity scrutinized more harshly.
But if, within the family structure, there is a bond that is made, it will often prove difficult to break. It is built on a solid rock foundation of trust.
Family friends…
Friendship within the family takes years. It is more easily gained between siblings. But sometimes, the friendship can develop between a parent and the child as the children grow up and live on their own.
In my case, both my children are friends. They are both different in temperament and personality, so their unique characteristics color the relationships with beauty each can share.
But the one who understands me the best is the one who is most like me. She sees the world in a similar manner. And she shares in similar interests intellectually, where the other shares more the aesthetics found in the creative world.
But sometimes, the friendship can develop between a parent and the child as the children grow up and live on their own.
When I finally quit working in the corporate world, my intellectual friend helped me direct my life beyond the structured walls of other’s expectations. She helped give me the time and space to heal from the trauma of that past life. And she gave me thoughts and directions on how to move forward.
And I was able to change my perspective on life.
The positive gift…
Being human, we all long for relationships. Ones that matter. and ones that give as much as we do.
Within my family, the one positive thing that I have been given is the gift of friendship.
The one thing my family has done for me is support me in my opportunities and directions to find myself. In a world that likes only uniformity, my differences stand out and make me shunned by many. But my family has embraced that difference, as I have learned to understand and embrace theirs.
Within my family, the one positive thing that I have been given is the gift of friendship. Deep friendship. One that has withstood the storms that life and differences have thrown at it.
To me, there is no greater love than what is shown to one another between friends. And sharing our lives together for so long generates a sequence of experiences that only serve to reinforce that trusting relationship.
Share your friendship journey…
- How would you describe your best friend?
- What makes them special to you?
- Where did you meet?
- How long have you been friends?
- How did your relationship develop?
Share your journey and let others see what true friendship is through your eyes.