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Treasure The Love You Have

by Laura Butters

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.

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.

Anticipation

'); 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!

So we made our plans, getting more and more excited as the date approached.

Reality Sets In

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.

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.

The Best Laid Plans

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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.

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!

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.

Sorting It Out

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.

A Happy Ending

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.

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.

It just goes to show that you need to treasure the love you have.

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Life Applications:

What are the relationships that you truly value?
Why do you value these relations'); document.write('hips?
How do you show those people how much they mean to you?

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Copyright 2003 by Laura Butters
All rights reserved.


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