Sunday, January 18, 2009

Expendable Relationships

There seems to be a growing number of people who believe that relationships are expendable. That means that they do not believe that relationships were meant to last and they can easily be replaced by someone else. This seems to be true of friendships as well as marriage partners.

The divorce rate keeps inching upwards and no family seems to be immune to the influences of divorce. Friendships are changable over the smallest of errors or percieved afronts. Because of the fluid movement of our society people feel free to drop friends in one city or state and find new ones in another.

As I look over the list of friends I've lost touch with over time I am saddened. I know there is no possible way to keep close all the friends of the past and present , but I believe past friends are still a treasure and a precious gift.

Forgiveness can prolong relationships that have been hurt, and correspondence through letters, Christmas cards, and emails can revive far off friendships. So why do we let relationships die instead of making an effort to remind the person that they have made a difference in our lives? Maybe they really need to hear it now. What might be happening in their lives that a sweet voice of a friend could cheer?

I don't want expendable relationships so it is time to make a call or two!

1 comment:

Irish Blessings said...

I have lost touch with many as well. Some I have cut others they have cut. Some are mutual. I believe our path takes us in different directions. The joy to a good relationship though is when you can pick up the phone or pen or keyboard and pick up where you left off. Those friends are the best. It's like they know they/we've drifted, but they hold no grudge.

Others, however, can not fathom that kind of relationship. You're either talking all the time or never at all. Would you keep a friend around if you kept getting hurt by them?