Friendship

I took this past Friday off to spend the day with my friend, Fr. Dennis. It wasn’t a great day in terms of the weather. It rained most of the day and driving in the rain stresses me out. I was once in a very bad car accident on a rainy day and I still think about it, especially when I’m driving in the rain. Although the weather was not cooperative, I still had a very nice day. Dennis may be the only person in my life that I can talk to about anything. Although he is a priest, I don’t think about that much. In fact, I sometimes forget he’s a priest. When we talk it is not a penitent to a confessor, it is a friend to a friend. It has been my experience that those closest to us are not always the people we can really talk to in a frank and open way. Many times those closest to us don’t really “get us” or understand us. Hopefully, however, all of us have someone we can be completely relaxed and open with about whatever is on our minds. There is not a person among us who doesn’t have things on their mind or in their heart that need to be released and brought to the surface.  When we carry everything around within ourselves, it can be very unhealthy. We all need a safe place where we have no fear of being judged or ridiculed. Most people are fortunate if they have two or three real friends in life. These are people who will be there for you in any circumstance. These are people who truly accept you for who you are, who do not judge you, and their friendship is a precious thing. Social media sites like Facebook have completely devalued the idea of friendship because there is no way anyone can have 1,264 friends. Most people can count their true friends on one hand.