That's What Friends Are For

[red]

What kind of friend are you? We all have friends be it casual or best friends.
You can share your story here about your best friend and qualities of friendship you share together. I tell mine later im going to bed lol

[Edwin]

Yes, Red, the time zone difference makes for some interesting effects. It can actually get a little complicated because I think the time zone that is observed here on this forum is a couple of hours ahead of our time zone, ours being Pacific Daylight Time lately. Then people in the Philippines are 15 hours ahead of our Pacific Daylight Time. So when the time is given for your posting, it was actually 7:44 a.m. our time, and 10:44 p.m. your time, if I have that all figured out correctly! Anyway I have had friends come and go. In late elementary and junior high I had one close friend, but when we moved that friendship became distant, and I only saw him on occasion. After that I had a lot of causual friends, but no close friends. I had one friend in Bible College who was a school teacher from New Zealand originally, and after over 40 years we are still communicating periodically. He and I exchange birthday wishes, on his birthday and mine, and then we write to each other once in a while other than that. It is not a close friendship, but we are good friends. Then we developed a close friendship with our Post Master where we lived for 10 years in the Cascade Mountains. He move, and then we moved not far from where he had moved. He married a filipina, and we are still good friends although we don't get together a lot, but periodically, and we talk on the telephone from time to time. Carol and I have both gone to the Philippines with them different years. I was invited again last November, but I couldn't go due to things happening to me. People at church are my friends, but most of them are not close friends, just friends because we are going to church. I count people on this forum as my good friends also! It is nice when you can share with each other your good times, bad times, and pray for each other as well. It is good to have good friends!

[red]

My friends are come and go. I only have very few who stays and considers friend for life and they are my bestfriends in high school.
Couple of them i let go and dont consider best friend because of betrayal. Some remain. Even we rarely see one another the belongingness of the group still there. As we grow some ways and attitude change. Not all of us are blessed in marriage life and money. But treatment of being loyal , compassion and trust is still there.
One thing i learned about friendship is that not to trust too much. You have to leave some peice of friendship to yourself. I mean some private stuff about yourself should remain to yourself. Better submit and just let God knows it that way you wont be depressed or stressed out of keeping it to your heart. Tendency of being too open that you let somebody be confident to manipulate you. Thus respect is affected. For me respect plays vital role in friendship. You have to have respect on yourself too. No matter how so close are bestfriends respect shouldnt be abuse to avoid trouble.

[Edwin]

Yes, Red, betrayal is something that happens, and the closer your friends the more apt it is to happen, and the worse it will feel and affect you. Betrayal is sad, and it is also complicated. Why do friends betray other friends? Well, there are many reasons, but it is always very damaging!

As Red said, the more you open yourself up the more vulnerable you become, and she is right that you should hold some things for yourself, and only open up those things if you find the right person for your mate. Then it takes a lot of trust, and you take a big chance opening up yourself to another person. But nothing ventured, nothing gained, so if you become close with someone, and fall in love you must take the chance and open up to them, then if the other person is worthy you will be greatly rewarded!

I am the same as you Red, in that I have had friends come and friends go. This is mostly because of changing jobs and places where I went to school and lived. Some of the ones who have hope in Jesus Christ provides a basis for friendship like no other. Truely, "There is no other Friend like Jesus," and all of us who call on His Name are to aim to be like Jesus.

[Edwin]

We have a saying, "Who needs enemies when you have friends like that!" Basically what that means is that you have what you think are friends, but they really aren't your true friends because they are disloyal. Some friends we have are true to us all the way, and they would never ever hurt us. There are other people we call our friends, but the truth is that they are self seeking, and if they can gain advantabe for themselves they are not beyond hurting the other person, and that is not a true friend, nor really a friend at all, but one who pretends to be a friend. Jesus is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother. He is a true friend who will be there to the very end, and will only do you good!

[red]

i can be loyal, true, helpful, defend my friends when in times of trouble. But i cant be reliable always when it comes to money. lol lots who likes to borrow but are not responsible on paying back. I just dont like that.

[Smiley]

I used to trust everybody. The School of hard knocks has taught me not to do that anymore.I come from a background that does not tolerate false friends. in the long run,it is better to have no friends than to have false friends.

[Edwin]

Yes, Red, lots of us don't really have a lot of money! I 3 renters in 2 houses over a period of time that not only didn't pay the rent, but also damaged the houses. Before I had the houses I had no idea what people were like. I also trusted too much, and took people at their word when they were lying to me through their teeth! I not only didn't get the money that I should have had coming, but also I had to find money that I didn't have to repair houses. I am in better condition now in that I have wonderful renters in one house that will not do me that way. The county sheriff lives behind the house, and he got tired of my loser renters causing him and the other neighbors trouble, so he found these people for me! I am so thankful to that County Sheriff! I had our kids move into my other house, and I did it for 2 reasons. One the other renters had damaged things so badly that I could not have had any one else move into the house without my spending lots of money and doing lots of work, and I would have done that, but our youngest daughter and her daughter needed a place to live, so I told her, you move in. They moved into the house just like it was, and she and I, and mostly she has been working on the house since. We did the necessary things to make it work for her, and she has been keeping it in good shape, and repairing and upgrading since, and now it looks like decent people live there! Things are very hard for her after coming out of a deadly abusive relationship in which she almost got killed, and was threatened with death, and she has been damaged until she will not be able to work for a while anyway, so I am not getting any money from her, but she is our daughter and we are supporting her during her hard times, and I don't mind that, even if it does put me in a bind, as long as I can figure out how to not go under myself. At least the house is safe with her.