Inspiration: A Season Of Friendships
“There is nothing on this earth more to be prized than true friendship.” Thomas Aquinas
Inspiration: A Season of Friendships, Happy Friendship Day!
Inspiration: A Season of Friendships, Happy Friendship Day!
For everything there is a season,
And a time for every purpose under the heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die;
A time to plant, and a time to harvest;
A time to kill, and a time to heal;
A time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn, and a time to dance;
Today is National Friendship Day and National Sisters Day, and we are blessed to have people in our lives who have our back and will walk a mile in our shoes, on good and bad days. My sisters and closest friends have been my rock, and I am grateful for their gifts of love and true friendship. No matter how we choose to paint our picture of our friendships, whether with broad, flourishing brushstrokes or tentative, subtle ones, we can all find a way to express what friendship means to us and honor those who have lived up to our expectations.
We are fortunate to have even 1-2 friends who stay true to us, lift us when we are down, and applaud our successes. Building such friendships takes commitment, trust, and sincerity. We know we have a true friend when we can be vulnerable in their presence and aren’t shy about sharing our foibles with them. Today, I honor all the TRUE friends in our lives. Our family members are our first friends because they know us well and have watched us grow; then others enter our lives and bring an eternal gift of friendship. You know who they are. The gift of birth is momentous, and paired with the gift of true friendship, our cup overflows… Today is a special day for me, and I am very grateful for the friends and family in my life. What about you? Reflect and send them a message of gratitude.
More Below!
“The greatest gift of life is friendship, and I have received it.” Hubert H. Humphrey
Inspiration: A Season of Friendships, Happy Friendship Day!
A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones;
A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to get, and a time to lose;
A time to keep, and a time to cast away;
A time to tear, and a time to sew;
A time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate;
A time for war, and a time of peace. (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8) via KJV
I’ve added the passage from Ecclesiastes to this post because it powerfully reminds us of life’s seasons and the importance of making the most of each breath we take. Every day, we have a chance to lift someone, and the moment will pass as quickly as the next. Be present in the seasons of your life and make them happy and memorable. When we think about the importance of National Friendship Day, it is not enough to think about those who lifted us. We must honor them by lifting others.
Why is paying it forward imperative? Because we must remember that a pebble tossed in a pond reverberates and spreads its vibrations beyond the pond. In the same way, we can pay our good fortune forward by honoring our friendships and supporting those in need. While we must credit Joyce Hall, the founder of Hallmark Cards, for proposing this special day in 1930, the onus is on us to be the kind of true friend others can rely on. What we give, we receive. Have a Happy Friendship Day!
This post was partly inspired by a WordPress Prompt: Paint, write a new post in response to today’s one-word prompt. Not sure how to participate? Here are the steps to get started.
Positive Motivation Tip: Helen Keller said it best: Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light.
PHOTO CREDITS/ATTRIBUTIONS: All Photos: Friendship via Pixabay and/or Friendship bracelet via Wikipedia
Until Next Time…
Ask. Believe. Receive. ©
Elizabeth Obih-Frank
Mirth and Motivation
Positive Kismet
Really enjoyed reading this, life is a great gift.
True… Everyone needs a friend.
One or two really good friends, are worth more than pots of silver and gold. Truly. 🙂
Always enjoy visiting your blog as it is thought provoking and deep.
This is so true. As stages of life change, so do our stages of friendships. It’s a hard reality to grasp, but it’s a good reminder that it is natural. Then those friendships that do last through every single stage are the ones that truly grow into something too beautiful for words. Thank you for sharing!
Beautiful! Yes, LOVE my friends!! Am so thankful for them! Thanks for the post and reminding us what a treasure friendship is!
Lovely post! Just amazing, I loved how you brought all these ideas together. Good job and keep up the amazing writing. 🙂
I’d love if you could check my work out as well.
A belated happy friendship day my Igbo sis 🙂
Be blessed too… Sorry, it’s taking me forever now to approve comments as I have a lot going on offline, and the numbers have grown. Thank you; your friendship is cherished. 🙂
Yours too my dear <3
There is no friendship as good as that of a pet. I love my little dogs with all my heart, and their love for me is unconditional. That’s what true love and friendship really is.
Happy a friendship day! I think its very important to have quality friendships.
I treasure my best friends, even if they are few they are really the best. My sisters are also my treasures.
I didn’t know that today is the Friendship Day. Maybe I should call some friends and plan something together.
Very nice post. Friendship is such a beautiful part of life.
I never heard of national friendship day and national sister day. It would be really nice to go out on a bestie and sisterhood date.
I really do think true friendship shouldn’t be taken for granted. I like the idea of saying thanks to all of my friends on National Friendship Day!
This was so beautifully put! I cherish all my friendships just the same. Love this!
This is a lovely post. It is nice to reflect on our friendships and appreciate their value. My friends have been the rock and comfort when I needed them. I honestly don’t know what I would do without them.
Posts like this give joy to posts like the one I did on my site about a friend. You should read it.
I always enjoy reading your blog posts and this one is also very jovial. Happy friendship day
I love this kind of posts! Very inspirational and motivational 🙂
I see tons of posts like this on StumbleUpon and Pinterest, you should try it!
How neat that international friendship day and sister day are on the same day!! It is amazing the difference friendship makes in our lives!
Friend is someone you can lean on. My friends is like a family to me. I treasure them always.
What a lovely idea! It’s so nice to step back and be appreciative sometimes. I don’t know how I’d cope without my friends!
lily kate x
jolihouse.com
Aw! Happy National Friendship day I hope you had a good one. It has made me realize how many amazing friends I have!
I don’t have much to say, left nearly speechless reading this. I really love LOVE all the photos in today’s inspiration! Your posts always leave me thinking …
Because of this post-my best friend and I spent some much needed time together. Bonus- my sister will be in town tomorrow for a week. What perfect timing!
I am so blessed to have true friends. We’ve been friends for more than 20 years, we’re practically like sisters.
Friendship really is such a gift. I’ve been blessed with some amazing friends in life. Such a great reminder to appreciate them!
I feel so blessed to have the friends I do, they have helped me become the person I am today.
This makes me glad I was able to have two daughters, so they can have each other as sisters. I often wish I had one.
My sisters are my best friends. I know I lucked out because it doesn’t always work out that way.
Lovely post – friendship is such an important part of life.
This is an awesome post. I love the quotes! Great job!!!
Happy National Friendship and Sisters day everyone. Great to know that such kind of days are being celebrated.
I have really come to value the friendships I have. After being in a car wreck recently that totaled my car and gave me a concussion, my friends have shown me love. From one loaning me a car until the is insurance gets the rental squared away to the countless meals, I am sooooo blessed!
there is really no better company than your real friends.. they were always there to comfort you and they will always be at your side through good and bad times.. now, because of this post, i think I want to give my besties a call just to let them now how much I appreciate the kind of friendship they offer for me
Really like this post. Friends are treasures and we all need friendship in our life
Love this! Friendship is super important to me. My besties are truest like family to me. I would be lost without them.
My godsister congratulated me this day and I was like isn’t it today the Cats national day (saw it on ig) but never the less we celebrated both. She was my friend long before we became godsisters. I love her so much.
I agree, it’s a good fortune to have 1-2 genuine and truly friends who love us the way we are, in our up and down. Beautiful post, and I love you corporate the passage from Ecclesiastes.
Nothing better than having great loyal friends!
Nothing better than having great loyal friends!!
Having good loyal friends mean everything! 🙂
It’s what makes us distinctly human.
That is true… 🙂
How do you do this? You always have the most awesome picture collection for every single one of your posts! How long does it take you to compile them all, by average?
I really liked the reminder that even a few true friends can make such a big difference in our lives. Having people who support us on both good and bad days is something we should never take for granted!
True. We don’t need a mob to feel validated. We need our own inner joy, our faith, our family, and our closest friend(s).
Always sharing wise words. What you say is so true. True friendship is gold, but also hard to find.
I agree, and even having 1-2 close friends is a blessing. We have casual friends and even acquaintances that some of us confuse as close friends. They aren’t, and we only find out who our true friends are when things go south.
I try to make everyday part of season of friendship. We just need so much more kindness and caring in the world.
We do, and it starts with us. We can do good and spread it around.
Friendship is such a powerful force in the world. The love and affection we have for our friends – old and new – extends out into the world. It makes us more friendly in general.
Yes, it does. Friendship, like love, is a blessing from above, and we must cherish it.
My sister & I were estranged for many years. But we made things right about 5 years ago and never looked back. We have a really nice friendship and it’s pretty solid. So glad to celebrate that today with your post!
God bless you both. I am happy for you and pray the same for estranged sisters everywhere. Amen.
Beautifully written post. I have friends I spend most of my time with, and I also have friends who still live in our home country. I miss them a lot. We try to video call whenever we have time so we can stay connected.
Video calls are great because they help us remember visual connections, too. Yes, true friends are a blessing
It is always amazing to have a good friend! I have casual ones, but the ones that truly know me are the absolute best.
I hear you. Even one true friend is a great gift and blessing. We don’t need a school bus full of fair-weather friends.
Some friendships only last for a short time, although it is not something we always have planned. I have one friend, who has been in my life for over 25 years
Yes, we have all sorts of “friendships,” and they vary in length and hold court in different chambers of our heart.