Post by stuartB on May 30, 2011 17:40:19 GMT
What is a friend?
I have been deep in thought lately due to the grave condition of my sister and the tragic loss of Carol. I have wondered what a friend is and what value they are.
My father was a policeman and maybe a little cynical but he advised me when I was being unduly influenced by people I was meeting while working at Pontins. I was being seduced by the glamour and the enjoyment of people on holidays. I believed, naively, that everyone was my friend. I was regularly being ripped off and had my faith in humanity shaken.
In school, I would do anything for anyone but frequently got taken advantage of.
Dad told me that women have many friends but men do not. There were several classes of friend.
Acquaintances, people you recognise, people you see regularly and those who you would trust with your life or money. We have many of the first 3 categories but I would be lucky to count the last category on one hand.
Most of what he said is true and I can count my true friends on one hand. Now is this common to most men or is it because over the years of being hurt, I trust less and less people and do not open up to anyone?
Thank goodness for the TFF as it has restored my faith in people. The last few months have been difficult dealing with my sister’s illness and the very great loss of the lovely Carol but during that time I have had the pleasure of being with some people that I am proud to say are true friends.
I have been able to help some of them out and enjoyed being able to give without condition and know that they have been truly grateful for what I have done. It feels really good to help people but in these sad times we live in people do not understand that you can give or do something just because you want to and not for what you want in return.
I won’t mention their names but they know who they are. They are both special people and hopefully we can enjoy many more times together.
Now moving on to a very very special friend. I joined TFF with a little caution at first, not knowing what welcome I would receive. I need not have worried, because it is a great place.
I have been very fortunate to make friends with Dave and think he is an outstanding person. Until you know what this guy has been through in his life and not just recent times, you will not understand how special he is. It was an absolute pleasure for me to see Dave this weekend and I’m glad that he could join me and my family. He is hurting really badly at the moment and needs all our love and attention to help him through this very difficult time. We all owe it to him and Carol that our founder comes back strong.
Please try and make the “Walk for Carol” and show how much you care. If you aren’t able to make it, then please pledge something towards the cause. It would help Dave with the healing process that he knows that you all care.
It sometimes takes little children to cut through all the nonsense that we believe in, as they see the world very simplistically. We can get all stressed out and wound up about the daftest things and the little ones will put it in to perspective for us. Their logic is fantastic and they regularly pull me back down to earth and show me that it is adults that complicated the world. They love unconditionally and will tell you exactly what they think of you. They were excited to see Dave tonight and threw their arms around him. I know that Dave got a boost from this and we don’t do this enough. Us being “British” are far too cold and look down our noses at nations who are far more tactile but we should open up more and show what we feel towards others.
I have tears of sadness in my eyes while typing this. Not for me but for Dave and the terrible position he is in. What has happened losing his wife and soul mate is bad enough but dealing with all the rest is just unbearable. I hope that I have given him a lift today and that he can start living the rest of his life. He will always love Carol but needs to treasure her memory and do what she would have wanted and that is to carry on and make the most of his life.
Take care, Dave. We love you!!
I have been deep in thought lately due to the grave condition of my sister and the tragic loss of Carol. I have wondered what a friend is and what value they are.
My father was a policeman and maybe a little cynical but he advised me when I was being unduly influenced by people I was meeting while working at Pontins. I was being seduced by the glamour and the enjoyment of people on holidays. I believed, naively, that everyone was my friend. I was regularly being ripped off and had my faith in humanity shaken.
In school, I would do anything for anyone but frequently got taken advantage of.
Dad told me that women have many friends but men do not. There were several classes of friend.
Acquaintances, people you recognise, people you see regularly and those who you would trust with your life or money. We have many of the first 3 categories but I would be lucky to count the last category on one hand.
Most of what he said is true and I can count my true friends on one hand. Now is this common to most men or is it because over the years of being hurt, I trust less and less people and do not open up to anyone?
Thank goodness for the TFF as it has restored my faith in people. The last few months have been difficult dealing with my sister’s illness and the very great loss of the lovely Carol but during that time I have had the pleasure of being with some people that I am proud to say are true friends.
I have been able to help some of them out and enjoyed being able to give without condition and know that they have been truly grateful for what I have done. It feels really good to help people but in these sad times we live in people do not understand that you can give or do something just because you want to and not for what you want in return.
I won’t mention their names but they know who they are. They are both special people and hopefully we can enjoy many more times together.
Now moving on to a very very special friend. I joined TFF with a little caution at first, not knowing what welcome I would receive. I need not have worried, because it is a great place.
I have been very fortunate to make friends with Dave and think he is an outstanding person. Until you know what this guy has been through in his life and not just recent times, you will not understand how special he is. It was an absolute pleasure for me to see Dave this weekend and I’m glad that he could join me and my family. He is hurting really badly at the moment and needs all our love and attention to help him through this very difficult time. We all owe it to him and Carol that our founder comes back strong.
Please try and make the “Walk for Carol” and show how much you care. If you aren’t able to make it, then please pledge something towards the cause. It would help Dave with the healing process that he knows that you all care.
It sometimes takes little children to cut through all the nonsense that we believe in, as they see the world very simplistically. We can get all stressed out and wound up about the daftest things and the little ones will put it in to perspective for us. Their logic is fantastic and they regularly pull me back down to earth and show me that it is adults that complicated the world. They love unconditionally and will tell you exactly what they think of you. They were excited to see Dave tonight and threw their arms around him. I know that Dave got a boost from this and we don’t do this enough. Us being “British” are far too cold and look down our noses at nations who are far more tactile but we should open up more and show what we feel towards others.
I have tears of sadness in my eyes while typing this. Not for me but for Dave and the terrible position he is in. What has happened losing his wife and soul mate is bad enough but dealing with all the rest is just unbearable. I hope that I have given him a lift today and that he can start living the rest of his life. He will always love Carol but needs to treasure her memory and do what she would have wanted and that is to carry on and make the most of his life.
Take care, Dave. We love you!!
