Friendship

Friendship
is a two way street
If it is not fed
from both sides,
it will atrophy

Why do I
always have to make
the phone calls ?
How come
you never call me ?
this kind of complaint
is a  bad omen
corrosion has set in
because there is
no real exchange

We have to
have time
for our friends
We must be
available

It is so easy
to plead
a multitude of demands
on our time

How important are these demands ?
If a friendship is to thrive ,
We have to face this question because
a friend can not survive neglect

Being available means to take the initiative
Write that letter , make that phone call
stop for a visit even if it isn't your turn

Being available means
altering plans to accommodate

Being available means to listen
not only to what our friends is saying
but what he is not saying
or trying to say and can not

Sometimes we are unavailable
because we are afraid of getting hurt
So we withdraw to our tower
fill the moat , and pull up the drawbridge

This fear is there but we have to cope with it
We have to be willing to suffer
the agony of opening to others

We have to let down the bridge
open the gate
Soon we will discover that people will
treat us gently
We have to risk it

More than anything we have to realize
We can not drain the cup of friendship
taking all we can get of care , attention and concern
without doing our share to help refill the cup