Searching for Landing Places

The only way to have a friend is to be one. Emerson

Getting to truly know other people is a privilege. Like most valuable and important activities, it is not easy to do. It is our nature to be somewhat cautious about personal things. Keeping things to ourselves is what make them personal. However, keeping everything personal from everybody leads to a sense of isolation and loneliness. We can cheat ourselves out life’s greatest joy – the joy of friendship.

Friendships – real, true friendships – are hard to find. Friends are people who accept you as you are, warts and all. Also, real friends tell you when your warts are making a mess of things. Friends are people who can leave, go around the world for a year and return and it is as if they had just stepped out of the room for a moment.

How do you get to know another person in a significant way? Harry Emerson Fosdick said, a person is like an island --sometimes you have to row all around them before you find a place to land. Sometimes friendship’s beach is found immediately. Other times finding a place on another person’s island can take time, patience, and understanding. Not everybody is meant to land on every island. But, look around and you shall see places to beach your boat. You will see beautiful islands in need of landings.

Today let your ears be your rowboat and your questions your oars.