True Friends

"Life is partly what we make it, and partly what is made by the friends whom we choose. Good friends may hard to find, but once found they are impossible to forget and hard to lose."

I have always been a believer in the power of friendships and the amazing ability to rise to any occasion. I believe that friendship is about defying the odds that the world has set against us. Times can be tough...and we need people to help get us through it all. We need to realize that along the way, we will need someone to be by our side...a true friend.

I also believe that true friends may not always be the ones that you see every day. Society today makes it easy to lose the true meaning of having a friend...and being a friend. Many have come to assume that if we know someone's name and say hello to them every day...then we are true friends. We associate friendship with brief encounters of human contact. The world has become so fast paced that we are too busy to stop for just a moment to make actual connections with the people around us.

In reality, some of your true friends are the people you have not spoken to in a while. See, true friendship does not always require daily interaction...but thrives on that mutual "connection". It seems like if I get together with someone I consider a true friend...it could be years since I have seen them last...and yet the second we get together...it feels as if we had never skipped a day, and our friendship had never skipped a beat.

True friends are those that come running when everyone else is running out of our lives.

True friends are the ones that will pick up the pieces of our brokenness and somehow make us whole again.

True friends are the ones that are never afraid to tell us the truth, even though it may hurt.

True friends will save us from our own sinking ship, even though we had refused to heed their warnings.

True friends are always the first ones there for you and the last ones to leave.

True friends are always willing to lend us an ear, or a shoulder to cry on.

True friends are the ones that will know our weaknesses and will never reveal them to the world.

True friends are those that won’t laugh at our faults and correct our thoughts.

True friends are the ones that will shield us from the harsh judgment the world will have for us.

True friends will stand beside us to share in our shame and/or fame.

True friends treat us as if we were what we ought to be and help us to become what we are capable of being.

True friends may not be there for us every day, but are there when we really need them.

True friends never expect anything but our true friendship in return.

We all need to realize some very important things. We all need to be friends and have friends. We need to rediscover the journey of friendship and begin to practice the lessons we learn along the way. We need to have a hunger for the power of great friendship. We need to yearn for the chance to be the ones that rise to the occasion, the ones that will be a hero to our friends. The ones that will be the first ones there, help put the fire and be the last ones to leave.

We need to open ourselves to trust another human being to be our hero and be there when we least expect it. We must break down the walls and let friendship be a part of our lives because we all need a friend to count on. Now is the time for a more meaningful connections.

Take the time to remember a good friend. Those we have, those we've kept, those we can make. Take the time to mend a lost friendship. Reach out and touch a friend. Let them know what a difference they have made in your life.  Renew an old friendship, enhance an existing or make a new friend!  Friends are the most important ingredient in this recipe of life.

All in all...we must remember...The only way to have a true friend...is to BE ONE first.

Live the life you deserve.  Live a life of passion!  Make TODAY a great day!  Thank you Friends!

-       Curtis Hirata