The Value of Friendship

Having a true friend is without a doubt the most significant and essential part of life.  Without a true friend, I honestly believe life would not be worth living.  Aside from being there to have fun with, true friends are basically an extension of yourself.  Perhaps the most amazing part of a true friend is that they feel what you feel and go through what you do.  Branching from this, sometimes, we hurt our true friends the most.  The saying "we hurt the ones we love most" is definitely accurate.  The worst fights I have ever been in in my life have been with my close, true friends, because those are the relationships that are worth fighting for.  Those are the people who are worth being upset over and getting hurt over.  Knowing you have hurt a friend, however, can be the most heart breaking feeling in the world.  What I've just recently realized, though, is the reality that you CAN hurt your best, true, friends.  The point of living life is not to just be alone and handle everything on your own.  One of my best friends has been struggling with this a lot lately.  She is constantly upset that it seems as if all of her close friends end up hurt trying to help her "fight her own battles" as she calls it.  But that's what true friends do, they help.  And sometimes they do get involved and end up hurt but that is the point of having a best friend and being a best friend, helping to take some of the pain away so it is more bearable.  If we were expected to live life alone and handle every single obstacle, challenge, and pain alone life would not be worth living.  It is impossible to count how many times my absolute best friend and I have blown each other off, done something stupid, and hurt the other.  But unlike any random guy or person, I know that no matter what, in the end, we will still be best friends, because that's how we are.  Essentially, I am thankful for nothing more in my life than my close friends and family because although I have only a few close friends and a very small family, I have the best ones who will be there for me no matter what.  These are the people who make my life worth living and enjoyable.

Sirach 6:14 "A faithful friend is a sturdy shelter, he who finds one finds a treasure"