document.write('<h2>Treasure The Love You Have</h2><p><strong><em>by Laura Butters</em></strong></p><P>We take a lot of things for g');
document.write('ranted.  Incredible things are right under our noses and we don\'t realize how wonderful they are -- until they leave us,');
document.write(' or we get a taste of life without them. </P><P>Unfortunately, our friends often fall into this category.  Not to long');
document.write(' ago, I realized just how powerful and important the love of a friend could be. </P><h3>Anticipation</h3><P>');
document.write('The annual youth group camping trip was just around the corner.  My best friend and I had been talking about it for what');
document.write(' felt like forever. This trip was going to give us time to really bond -- we would be together for an entire weekend! </');
document.write('P><P>So we made our plans, getting more and more excited as the date approached. </P><h3>Reality Sets In</h3><P>So');
document.write(' the date came, but we ended up in different cars on the long ride to the campground. Big deal, right?  We\'d just hang o');
document.write('ut once we got there. </P><P>But that\'s not exactly the way it worked out.  Once we got there and set up camp, we didn');
document.write('\'t hang out much at all. We talked a bit, played a card game and ate. Then, later that night, we hugged, said "goodnight');
document.write('" and parted ways.  The first day was over and we had barely spent any time together. </P><h3>The Best Laid Plans</h3>');
document.write('<P>Things hadn\'t gone as planned, but it didn\'t bother me at the time.  Between the long trip up and then settling in ');
document.write('at the campsite, things had been a little bit crazy.  Besides, I knew the next day would be different.  The next day wou');
document.write('ld be just like we had planned.</P><P>So the next morning rolled around and a new day was before us.  And this second ');
document.write('day was different -- we didn\'t hang out at all!  I don\'t even recall talking to my friend that day. The two of us had ne');
document.write('ver fought before, but for some reason we wouldn\'t go near each other.  It was as if suddenly I was mad at him and he wa');
document.write('s mad at me and neither of us knew why!</P><P>And that\'s when it hit me.  I had taken his friendship for granted, just');
document.write(' assuming that things would always be fine.  But as I sat there in that campground, I honestly thought I was going to lo');
document.write('se him -- and that crushed me. </P><h3>Sorting It Out</h3><P>Finally, that night, I couldn\'t stand it anymore.  I dr');
document.write('agged him aside and we talked it over, the way friends should do.  Once things were figured out, we embraced for a long ');
document.write('time and I began to cry. He told me he loves me and nobody can take my place, and I told him that I feel the same way.  ');
document.write('After all, he is my best friend.</P><h3>A Happy Ending</h3><P>Everything turned out fine in the end, and the rest of');
document.write(' the time was great.  But it made me see just how much I took him for granted.  I had never really considered how import');
document.write('ant his friendship is to me until I thought I was going to lose him and it scared me so badly.  He\'s my best friend, and');
document.write(' that little bit of life without him sucked.</P><P>The whole experience made me realize that I need to be more aware o');
document.write('f the treasures in my life.  The people I love are more valuable than all the riches in the world.  And I can\'t imagine ');
document.write('life without my best friend in it now. </P><P>It just goes to show that you need to treasure the love you have.</P><');
document.write('hr><h3>Life Applications:</h3><P>What are the relationships that you truly value?<br/>Why do you value these relations');
document.write('hips?<br />How do you show those people how much they mean to you?</p><a href="http://www.parishwebmaster.com/cgi-bin/');
document.write('birdcast.cgi"><img border="0" src="http://www.parishwebmaster.com/images/buttons/tell04.gif" width="62" height="20"></a>');
document.write('<hr><P>Copyright 2003 <strong><em>by Laura Butters</em></strong><br /><A HREF="http://www.ParishWebmaster.com/" STYLE=');
document.write('"TEXT-DECORATION: NONE"><font color="#000000">All rights reserved. </font></a></P><hr>');