Just sharing this beautiful message received from a friend through WhatsApp which I think also received from someone. Guess it has been around but I feel it is too pretty not to share here.
...Many years ago, after I got married I was sitting on a couch on a hot, humid day, sipping frozen juice during a visit to my father.
As I talked about adult life, marriage, responsibilities, and obligations, my father thoughtfully stirred the ice cubes in his glass and cast a clear, sober look at me.
"Never forget your friends," he advised, "they will become more important as you get older."
"Regardless of how much you love your family and the children you happen to have, you will always need friends.
Remember to go out with them occasionally, do activities with them, call them ..."
"What strange advice!" I Thought. "I just entered the married world, I am an adult and surely my wife and the family that we will start will be everything I need to make sense of my life."
Yet I obeyed him; Kept in touch with my friends and annually increased their number. Over the years, I became aware that my father knew what he was talking about.
In as much as time and nature carry out their designs and mysteries on a man, friends were the bulwarks of his life.
After 50 years of life, here is what I learned:
Time passes.
Life goes on.
The distance separates.
Children grow up.
Children cease to be children and become independent.
And to the parents it breaks the heart but the children are separated of the parents.
Jobs come and go.
Illusions, desires, attraction, ....weaken.
People do not do what they should do.
The heart breaks.
The parents die.
Colleagues forget the favors.
The races are over.
But, true friends are always there, no matter how long or how many miles they are.
A friend is never more distant than the reach of a need, barring you, intervening in your favor, waiting for you with open arms or blessing your life.
When we started this adventure called LIFE, we did not know of the incredible joys or sorrows that were ahead.
We did not know how much we would need from each other. Love your parents, take care of your children, but keep a group of good friends. Dialogue with them but do not impose your criteria.
Hi Angie, good to see you back in action. Very heart warming message.... its very true. Beside our family, we also need a bunch of good friends to age gracefully together....especially when our children start working and have their own family. We must keep ourselves active with activities and stay healthy to prevent senile and also not to burden our children.
ReplyDeleteNice pic of you and your buddies. Like posing for magazine. :))
Have a nice day.
Amelia
Hi Amelia, thanks for dropping by. Wish I could update this blog as often as I like but most of the time, the spirit is willing but determination is weak hehe. Anyway, I love the message that was sent to me by a friend and instead of just deleting them, I thought I wold just store it somewhere. What better place than in my blog so that I can share it to whoever happens to stumble.
DeleteAm sure it can be found somewhere in the Net too. Those poses with friends hahaha.. in every adult, there is a child inside each of us.
Angie