WHAT FRIENDS ARE WORTH

For those who read me since 2008 when I started this blog, it is no news that whenever I refer to friendship I only have words of praise.

It is that the friend, and being such, implies empathy with the other person, understanding, mutual trust, respect, and above all, help, be attentive to what the other party needs and provide as much as can be completed or meet his/her needs.

A few days ago - in some countries - Friend's Day was celebrated. I object that it should be called Friendship Day so that it has a universal connotation. Because "friend" is masculine, and we can't leave female friends out. And if we include them, we must respect their sex. So not to say Female and Male Friends Day, we may well call it Friendship Day.

I have said many times that after love, friendship is the most wonderful feeling that links people.

And that it so gives proof and show many acts and facts that friends perform. It is those actions that support and strengthen friendship.

Dialogue, communication, personal meetings, exchange of ideas, all these fits. Hours or days of coexistence, visits, all that is part of the proper environment in which the friendship unfolds.

Personally, it hurts me deeply when I lose a friendship. And the first thing I ask is if I made such a huge mistake that I deserve that loss. Sometimes - I know very well from my own experience - there is a misinterpretation or misrepresentation of certain circumstances, and it is difficult to make see that the facts are different or that they should not be viewed from a certain wrong perspective.

But it is usually not easy to persuade the other part that suddenly he/she was wrong. That's when a frank, open, sincere dialogue is imposed to clarify things and restore the relationship with more force than before if possible.

I am honored to have many friends in different countries deserving all my confidence, which I always hope to reciprocate.

To my friends then, a big hug and a gigantic Thank you!

To friendships that for some reason ceased to be: my arms are open to receive them and restart a positive relationship.

Milton W. Hourcade