Distant Friendship

We know many definitions of friendship and until we seek to put our experiences in many of these definitions but we don’t always have the opportunity to share them. Therefore, I take this opportunity to clarify a concept based on my personal experience and I hope to help you to re-encounter your distant friendships.

I  had the grace of living in the Canção Nova Mission in Fatima, Portugal, for four years. It was a fantastic mission, learning and living especially on what Our Lady of Fatima and the shepherd children provided me. It was in his time that I knew Denilson and I met again Dijanira, two among many who marked my life and were responsible for many special moments that I lived. A friendship translated into the day by day and fed in the spontaneous sharing that helped me to grow over all as a man of God.

cancaonova

In 2009, I returned to Brazil in order to regularize the documentation and because of the mission I continued my mission activities in Brazil, I passed through Aracaju, Cachoeira Paulista and Rio de Janeiro where I encountered again after three years my friends Denilson and Dijanira who today are married. This special and indescribable moment made me reflect that after three distant years, the fraternal bonds did not diminish, on the contrary, the re-encounter proved that true friendship, can be ended by time or distance. Friendship is not chosen, it happens in the heart and returns fertile to the measure that the heart is open in the direction of the other, we are impulsed to the good that it generates brings strength that spreads to others.

So it is a true friendship that also happens in the distance physically away from the hearts united by the desire for happiness. Friendship that has as a challenge to understand the other is unique and unpredictable being support in one’s weaknesses and allowing oneself to be molded by the good examples done in the happy life.

With certainty there exists some friendship that through the setbacks of life walks forgotten in bookshelf like an old encyclopedia hiding many teachings and good answers. Therefore, do not lose time. Enjoy! It is the hour to shake the dust and return to friendships that are physically distant to be made close for the simple act of being “friend”.

Alex

translated from Spanish