Friendships, old and new.....

A friend is one who knows us, but loves us anyway.

~ Fr. Jerome Cummings

Friends are kisses blown to us by angels.

~Author Unknown

If instead of a gem, or even a flower, we should cast the gift of a loving thought

into the heart of a friend, that would be giving as the angels give.

~George MacDonald

A true friend reaches for your hand and touches your heart.

~Author Unknown

Friendship is a sheltering tree.

~Samuel Taylor Coleridge

A good friend is a connection to life - a tie to the past, a road to the future,

the key to sanity in a totally insane world.

~Lois Wyse

A friend accepts us as we are yet helps us to be what we should.

~Author Unknown

The best rule of friendship is to keep your heart a little softer than your head.

~Author Unknown

Friends are relatives you make for yourself.

~Eustache Deschamps

We make friends throughout our life, some live in our memory as we move on in our lives, some stay in touch and others it seems we cannot live without. When I stop and think how many friends I have made throughout my life, I realise that it all depends on what we mean by the word friends...there are acquaintances that I had known for only a short time and we really connected and are still in touch through regular (or snail) mail, through emails as well as through other forms of communication that we are blessed with today. Through the internet I have made several friends through my favourite craft forum, we share ideas, problems, exchange gifts and generally treat each other as friends. I am really thankful for this opportunity. I must say that at first I was a little wary, watchful in a way that our parents have so rightfully taught us. But that's OK and actually I prefer it that way and that is what we also have taught our children.

True friendships are hard to define ... A true friend is a little more than a very good friend.

Jesus Christ gave us the definition of a true friend: "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you" (John 15:13-15). Jesus is the pure example of a true friend, for He laid down His life for His "friends." What is more, anyone may become His friend by trusting in Him as his personal saviour, being born again and receiving new life in Him.

Making new friends can be fun too, keeping them is another question and it depends on both parties of course and losing a good friend, even if over a silly dispute, can be painful. We learn as we grow older that respect plays a very important part in true friendship.

WOW, this was supposed to be a short posting on friendship and I am still writing...

Talking of friends and also making new friends or meeting them for the first time, a few days ago I met this very sweet French lady who is a colleague of my husband and who has been visiting our island occasionally as work demands. It was so nice to meet her and to get acquainted, we spent a lovely evening together by the end of which we wished each other well with hopes to meet again. She has a very good command of the English language with a lovely French accent which I loved listening to and talking to her made me wish to visit Paris, well maybe one day! If you are reading this I'd like to say I cherish our new friendship.

It is so nice to know I have friends from around the world and

I would like to say you are all very special and I am so glad

to call you my dear friends!

Friends are very special people we can be ourselves with,

talk with, laugh with, hope with and believe with!