{"id":2553,"date":"2016-12-31T00:01:02","date_gmt":"2016-12-31T08:01:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/davesevern.com\/blog\/?p=2553"},"modified":"2017-01-03T13:38:41","modified_gmt":"2017-01-03T21:38:41","slug":"to-have-a-good-friendyou-must-first-be-one","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/davesevern.com\/blog\/to-have-a-good-friendyou-must-first-be-one\/","title":{"rendered":"To Have A Good Friend,\u2026You Must First Be One"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/davesevern.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/To-Have-A-Good-Friend-You-Must-First-Be-One.mp3\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-474\" src=\"http:\/\/davesevern.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/SEV-CampfireAudio-300x86.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"86\" srcset=\"https:\/\/davesevern.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/SEV-CampfireAudio-300x86.jpg 300w, https:\/\/davesevern.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/SEV-CampfireAudio.jpg 375w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>I want to share with you a most touching and sensitive topic of discussion that strikes at the heart of the causes of your personal relationships and friendships with other people. The circle of close friendships and relationships that surrounds most everyone\u2019s life is critical as relates to the recipe for enjoying a long and happy life.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">In the end, after all is said and done, it will be those close and lasting personal relationships with other human beings that mean the most to you,&#8230;that you will cling to more than any other of your personal possessions, or other forms of wealth. Man was indeed created to be a needy personalty,&#8230;needy of other personal relationships. In fact that was the very reason that God created Eve out of Adam in the Garden of Eden. Adam was God\u2019s finest creation. He was God\u2019s all time best. BUT,&#8230; Adam was lonely. He had no other close personal human friend with whom to live and share his life. Eve was created out of Adam to be his Completer,<\/span>\u00a0<span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">to be his help mate.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">And so it remains true today. Man simply was not created or designed to live alone.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\"> <strong>Life is terribly lonely when you are all alone.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">All it takes for the majority of the population to give up, quit, or stop performing is for one single and simple thought to race through their heads that nobody else cares about them. The longer you live alone, the greater will be your mental pain of loneliness. If left unresolved for too long of a period of time, the miserable loner will eventually reach a point where they believe life is simply not worth continuing on by themselves. Their loneliness can be deadly.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">The contrary is also true. One simple word of encouragement, one little word or action of helpfulness,&#8230;any type recognition of them as a valuable person or friend can snap even the loneliest of the lonely out of their mental misery and put them back on the road to happiness and success. You never know what kind, and how much mental baggage another person is carrying. You should never assume that you understand what is causing a person mental or physical pain and suffering. Stupidity can actually do more damage than anything else to hurt the feelings and understanding of a lonely person.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\"><strong> Evaluate another individual\u2019s personal situation with an attitude of help, assistance, and love. That is what really true friendship is all about.<\/strong> Are you someone else\u2019s friend? Do you have any really close personal friends?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">I would like at this time to share with you a beautiful story that I received today on my e-mail sent to me by one of my oldest personal friends. A friend whose friendship I have cherished for fifty-six years. May I suggest you get a kleenex or two before reading any further.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">If you like this discussion and its content, please pass it along to any other person you think could benefit from it. The author of the story is unknown.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">A Real Friend<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">One day when I was a freshman in high school, I saw a kid from my class walking home from school.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">His name was Kyle.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">He looked like he was carrying all of his books in his arms.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">I thought to myself, \u201cWhy would anyone bring home all his books on a Friday? He must really be a nerd.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">I personally had quite a weekend planned (parties and a football game with my friends tomorrow afternoon),&#8230;so I shrugged my shoulders and went on walking home by myself.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">As I was walking, I saw a bunch of kids running toward him. They ran at him, knocking all his books out of his arms and tripping him so he landed in the dirt. His glasses went flying, and I saw them land in the grass about ten feet from him&#8230;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">He looked up and I saw this terrible sadness in his eyes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">My heart went out to him. So, I jogged over to him as he crawled around looking for his glasses,&#8230; and I saw a tear in his eye.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">As I handed him his glasses, I said, \u201cThose guys are jerks.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">They really should get lives.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">He looked at me and said, \u201cHey,&#8230;thanks!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">There was a big smile on his face. It was one of those smiles that showed real gratitude.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">I helped him pick up his books, and asked him where he lived. As it turned out, he lived near me, so I asked him why I had never seen him before.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">He said that he had gone to private school before now.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">I would have never hung out with a private school kid before.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">We talked all the way home, and I carried some of his books.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">He turned out to be a pretty cool kid. I asked him if he wanted to play a little football with my friends&#8230;.He said, yes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">We hung out all weekend and the more I got to know Kyle, the more I liked him, and my friends thought the same of him.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Monday morning came, and there was Kyle with the huge stack of books again.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">I stopped him and said, \u201cBoy, you are gonna really build some serious muscles with this pile of books everyday!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">He just laughed and handed me half the books.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Over the next four years, Kyle and I became best friends.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\"> When we were seniors we began to think about college.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Kyle decided on attending Georgetown and I was going to Duke.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">I knew we would always be friends,&#8230;that the miles would never be a problem.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">He was going to be a doctor and I was going for business on a football scholarship.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Kyle was valedictorian of our class. I teased him about being a nerd.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">He had to prepare a speech for graduation. I was so glad it wasn\u2019t me having to get up there and speak.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Graduation Day, I saw Kyle. He looked great .<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">He was one of those guys that really found himself during high school. He filled out and actually looked good in glasses.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">He had more dates than I had and all the girls loved him. Boy, sometimes I was jealous! Today was one of those days.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">I could see that he was nervous about his speech. So, I smacked him on the back and said, \u201cHey, big guy, you\u2019ll be great!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">He looked at me with one of those looks (the really grateful one) and smiled&#8230;\u201cThanks,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">As he started his speech, he cleared his throat, and began&#8230;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">\u201cGraduation is a time to thank those who helped you make it through those tough years. Your parents, your teachers, your siblings, maybe a coach&#8230;but mostly your friends&#8230;I am here to tell all of you that being a friend to someone is the best gift you can give them. I am going to tell you a story.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">I just looked at my friend with disbelief as he told of the first day we met.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\"> He had planned to kill himself over that weekend.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">He talked of how he had cleaned out his locker so his Mom wouldn\u2019t have to do it later and was carrying all of his stuff home.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">He looked hard at me and gave me little smile.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">\u201cThankfully, I was saved. My friend saved me from doing the unspeakable.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">I heard a gasp go through the crowd as this handsome, popular boy told us all about his weakest moment.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">I saw his Mom and Dad looking at me and smiling that same grateful smile.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Not until that moment did I realize it\u2019s depth.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Never underestimate the power of your own actions. With one small gesture you can change a person\u2019s entire life&#8230;.For better or for worse.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">God puts us all in each others lives to impact one another in some way or another. Look for Good in others.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">You now have two choices,&#8230;you can:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">1. <\/span><span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Pass this article on to all your friends and let them be blessed by it,&#8230;or<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">2. Delete it and act like it didn\u2019t touch your heart.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">As is clearly obvious I have chosen option 1.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">\u201cFriends are angels who lift us to our feet, when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">There is no beginning or end.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\"> Yesterday is history.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\"> Tomorrow is a mystery.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Today is a gift.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">It just happens to be National Friendship Week here in America. Show your friends just how much you personally do care for them. Send this to everyone you consider to be one of your good friends,<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">If it comes back to you, then you\u2019ll know you have a circle of friends.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">When you receive this letter, you are requested to send it on to at least ten other people you consider to be good friends.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">If this story comes back to you, then you will know for certain that you have a good close circle of friends.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Interconnecting with other friends is a very important part of keeping great personal relationships growing and improving with other people.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">In the end of things it will be your close personal friends who add the most value to your life. Be sure to thank them for their friendship at every opportunity that presents itself.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Peace And Love to All of You&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;Poppa Bear<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I want to share with you a most touching and sensitive topic of discussion that strikes at the heart of the causes of your personal relationships and friendships with other people. The circle of close friendships and relationships that surrounds &hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/davesevern.com\/blog\/to-have-a-good-friendyou-must-first-be-one\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2553","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/davesevern.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2553","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/davesevern.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/davesevern.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/davesevern.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/davesevern.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2553"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/davesevern.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2553\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2559,"href":"https:\/\/davesevern.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2553\/revisions\/2559"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/davesevern.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2553"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/davesevern.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2553"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/davesevern.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2553"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}