Unnecessary things

I have had another fantastic week this week and my thoughts can be articulated much more wisely in the words of C.S.Lewis: 

"Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art... It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that give value to survival."

I just love the friends that I have. 

One of them drew this rather magical picture for me. Unfortunately this term is ending and next semester I am moving to a new placement and won't be with all of the people I was with this time. Some of my friends from this placement are coming with me and I'm excited about that. I'm really sad to leave the ones behind who aren't going to be there. Particularly, I won't be at the same placement as Nevine (the artist) or Christine. I am definitely going to miss seeing those two on a daily basis. Yet, I know we're all going to make lots of friends at our new placements and that we'll work hard to keep in touch with each other. All of us are daily creating new ties and threads to people- far from being islands, we all create a complicated spider-web of attachments. I love that. 

Friendship can seem demanding at times- I'm sure we all have those moments where we would rather concentrate on ourselves; our needs, our problems. We don't always really want to share that. 

Or maybe we get temporarily distracted by other things- pastures that seem newer and greener. Real friends will understand the temporary distraction and call us to be true to ourselves and to our loyalties without being judgemental or harsh. I love this quote: 

"A true friend never gets in your way unless you happen to be going down."

Arnold H. Glasow

With Christmas just around the corner, I am grateful for being reminded this weekend of the value of loyalty. Maybe we can all just reach out a little bit more- call a friend you haven't spoken to for a while; set up a visit with an old friend who you don't see as much; befriend someone who you haven't previously made an effort with. The likelihood that we will all discover gold if we do this is so high!

"This Christmas, mend a quarrel. Seek out a forgotten friend. Dismiss suspicion and replace it with trust. Write a letter. Give a soft answer. Encourage youth. Manifest your loyalty in word and deed. Keep a promise. Forgo a grudge. Forgive an enemy. Apologize. Try to understand. Examine your demands on others. Think first of someone else. Be kind. Be gentle. Laugh a little more. Express your gratitude. Welcome a stranger. Gladden the heart of a child. Take pleasure in the beauty and wonder of the earth. Speak your love and then speak it again.

Christmas is a celebration, and there is no celebration that compares with the realization of its true meaning—with the sudden stirring of the heart that has extended itself unselfishly in the things that matter most." - Howard W. Hunter