Friendship

[Hopefloats]

No person is your friend, who demands your silence, or denies your right to grow..

Taken from Daily Meditations For People Who (May) Worry Too Much

Being a friend isn't always easy and having friends isn't easy especially if we do not do our own work. How often have we abused friendships by not wanting to hear the truth about ourselves from those we "say" we care about? When we demand silence from our friends and make the friendship conditional upon agreement of never saying anything we don't want to hear, that isn't friendship. That is captivity. Our friends, hopefully, are the people who know us the most. They not only can see our glaring blind spots, they care enough about us to tell us--hopefully without judgement.

Also, we cannot be a friend and ask those we love not to change. How great is our need to get our little part of the world all fixed up......and keep it that way!

Friends change...friendships change. Real friends move with these changes and talk about them as they are happening.

[Hopefloats]

QUOTE: "How often have we abused our friendships by not wanting to hear the truth about ourselves from those we "say" we care about?"

I am very greatful that my friends and I are able to come to one another, and speak of our feelings. The best part of these friendships is neither me or my friend will go into "excuse for my behavior mode" We hear one another out, and we are able to have a mature, reasonable discussion. We don't look for reasons to hide behind the truth.

Recovery has shown me that healing is in the truth of things.