I can’t remember where I learned this old Nigerian quote, but it came to mind recently when a friend sent me a birthday card. The quote is as follows: “Hold a true friend with both of your hands.”
My friend has been besieged lately with some complicated personal issues. We have been friends through more birthdays than I would care to say. In all of those years, I tried to be a good friend, but I did not necessarily always remember to send her personal birthday cards. After all, in today’s world what does it take…three minutes to dash off an emailed happy birthday? I mean, we’re all terribly busy, but the truth is that seeing a greeting card envelope in the mailbox brings a smile to anyone’s face. The extra effort really isn’t such a hassle if you keep assorted birthday cards on hand.
I realize now that I wasn’t holding this precious commodity of friendship with both hands. Shame on me! All it takes is the foresight to keep a box of birthday cards at the ready. My dear friend never neglected me, even though I’m sure she noticed my neglect, or mentioned my omission, even though I am sure I would have found a way to express my disappointment if she ever forgot my birthday card.
I guess what I want others to get from reading this is that when you never want to lose something as important as a true friendship, you need to hold it with both hands.