Offaly influencer writes on the importance of friendship

Friendship is every colour of the rainbow and all the hues in between. The good, the bad, the ugly, the glorious, the inspirational, the beloved and the brilliant. Friendship is a really helpful life-line for our souls. Connecting us with like-minded people who genuinely care about one another is a gift we take for granted all too often. Friends are people we feel good with.

Some make us laugh, some hear us out and really listen to our hearts, others support us when the going is tough, and still others just hang with us when we need down time. A true friend holds up a mirror in which we see ourselves. They are the ones who show us our strengths when all we see is weakness; they point out our good character traits, like courage and loyalty, when we are down on ourselves. They remind us of past accomplishments and spur us on in our future.

They build into our lives and we are richer for having spent time with them. We come away with a stronger sense of “self” because we have been together.  But friends don't just expose our good qualities; they tell it as it is. They are the people in our lives who aren't afraid to tell us what they really think, who hold us accountable when we're out of line. They speak the truth in love, and in the process, make us better: "As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another" (Proverbs 27:17).

The soul of friendship is located in honesty, respect, sharing, and loyalty. The making and the keeping of friends over the long haul of a lifetime is a spiritual practice requiring large reserves of diligence, patience, and nurturing. I consider myself hugely blessed that I have amazing friendships in my life.  Nothing could replace what the friendships in my life have meant and do mean to me. The support, the love, the mercy, the compassion, the empathy, the care and the mutuality. All of my friendships have a particular richness.  Today on International week of Friendship, I hope that you too may take the time to reflect on your own friendships, both past and present, and the richness they have brought into your lives.

The Richness of Friendship

True friends enrich our lives in so many ways and shower us with many blessings. Through a magical combination of similarities and differences, friends offer us the opportunity to know ourselves as we are and help us grow into who we want to be. Our similarities attract us to each other, comforting us with familiarity when we see ourselves in them. When we are drawn to those we admire, the same recognition is at work, unconsciously acknowledging that these people possess qualities that we ourselves possess. By acting as mirrors, friends help us define who we are by reflecting ourselves back to us.

True friends also help us know ourselves through our differences. Differences allow us to see other options and make choices about who we want to be. Sometimes we are drawn to those who appear to be our opposites, and we learn to accept the parts of them we love and the parts of them that don't resonate with us. True friends have the courage to correct each other's mistakes rather than keep silent and do nothing. True friends help us to be a better version of ourselves and any friendship that brings toxic elements of bullying or judgmentalism and hurtfulness needs to be dissolved as it will lead to illness and hardship. Friendship for it to work needs to have a positive impact on our lives, not a negative one. True friends are very hard to find and if you have them in your life cherish them forever. Part of the joy of friendship is the feeling that we are accepted just the way we are, with no need to change.

It is a gift they give us, and one we can give back every day. Ultimately, we choose friends because they make us feel good about ourselves and life. Through tears and difficulties, friends help us find laughter. When we find those special people who offer us that perfect combination of comfort and stimulus to grow, we are very fortunate. Friends, those wonderful blessing's of companions that walk with us through life, help us define and refine who we are and who we choose to be every day

Thought for the week

As your thought for the week, look around you and truly cherish those special people and friends that are part of your life and always remember that friendship can be a true place of refuge and is one of life's most wonderful blessings. Let me finish this thought with a prayer I say for my friends, "I will pray for you, my friend. I will name you in my heart before God and ask all His blessing be upon you.

I will be concerned for your rising and your daily mood. I will be sympathetic to your personal needs and desires in each day of your life. I will wish you well in your learning, or your work, in your domestic round and your leisure. I will think of you at the close of each day and pray that God’s peace be with you. If you have been especially kind or helpful to me then I will make my gratitude known to you. If you are in trouble or difficulty of any kind, or simply tired and worn down, I will do all and anything I can to lift your spirits. I will ache for you in your sorrows and disasters and rejoice with you in your joys and triumphs. I will love and care for you as I love and care for myself. Amen"

Happy World Friendship Day to everyone - In these difficult times, good friends are more important than ever.  In the blink of an eye another day is gone,  In the blink of an eye another week is gone. In the blink of an eye another month is gone, In the blink of an eye another year is gone. And in the blink of an eye I'll be gone too, And not just me but also you. So maybe we should be wishin' and hopin', so that we could just keep our eyes open. And see and appreciate all that we can see, And learn how we can be, the best that we can be,  Before it's too late. Time flies, so let's not wait. Whether we have just one life or many, one thing is true, We should try to enjoy every moment we can with family and friends; it's the wisest thing to do!