Henri J.M. Nouwen once wrote: '' When
we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives mean the most to us, we
often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures,
have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and
tender hand. The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or
confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can
tolerate not knowing, not curing, not healing and face with us the reality of our
powerlessness, that is a friend who cares". In life, we meet strangers, we
laugh with them, we dine with them, and they become part of our life. But how
do we measure friendship? Is it by the time they spent with us? Or is it by how
much tender they provide us with? Does our heart naturally know who is our true
friend or do we not know till we are back-stapped? Is it by the hours they spent sniggering with
us? Or is it by the minutes they stood with us in silence enduring our pain? I
may not know much in life, but this much I know, if we desire for a friend to
lay on whenever we feel fragile, we shall be that person first. Why is it that
we always demand for things that we are not entitled to? We beg for a friendship
that lasts forever, we demand a friend that would never leave our back, yet we
judge and point fingers at each other, we gossip and feed through the hurt we give one
another, yet we hope that the loved
ones would come and find comfort in us. But how dare we provide comfort for
others when we can't have peace of mind? For how long could we keep this war
going? Pleasing who we wish to notice us with tender words. And hurting who
give their best to please us. We became scared of trusting. Yet aching for comfort.
Hoping that someone would come along forgiving us for our past. And accepting
us for who we wish to become. But how could we ask this much when we "ourselves"
did not forgive us? Is friendship a relationship established between two
strangers? Or does it start within us? be the friend you wish to have.
