<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?><oembed><version><![CDATA[1.0]]></version><provider_name><![CDATA[Irresistibly Fish]]></provider_name><provider_url><![CDATA[https://brettfish.wordpress.com]]></provider_url><author_name><![CDATA[brettfish]]></author_name><author_url><![CDATA[https://brettfish.wordpress.com/author/brettfish/]]></author_url><title><![CDATA[What kind of friend are you,&nbsp;anyway?]]></title><type><![CDATA[link]]></type><html><![CDATA[<p><strong>i don&#8217;t think we talk about Friendship enough.</strong></p>
<p>in fact, i think too often, too<strong> many of us might take it for granted.</strong></p>
<p>i don&#8217;t think i do. <strong>i am just so constantly made aware of how many incredible friends i have in and around my life</strong> &#8211; the term &#8216;best friend&#8217; relates to at least 7 people i can think of straight away who are all &#8216;best friends&#8217; in differing but equivalent ways.</p>
<p>and when i start listing quality friends, well i can just write a very long list without much thought at all.</p>
<p><strong>those are the easy ones though</strong> &#8211; it is so easy to be friends with those people because what they bring to the party is immediately obvious and amazing and life-giving and so on. but then i read this comment about Eeyore the other day and it really struck me:</p>
<p><a href="https://brettfish.wordpress.com/2014/03/13/what-kind-of-friend-are-you-anyway/joinedeeyore/" rel="attachment wp-att-7861"><img loading="lazy" data-attachment-id="7861" data-permalink="https://brettfish.wordpress.com/2014/03/13/what-kind-of-friend-are-you-anyway/joinedeeyore/" data-orig-file="https://brettfish.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/joinedeeyore.jpg" data-orig-size="593,395" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;}" data-image-title="joinedeeyore" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://brettfish.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/joinedeeyore.jpg?w=300" data-large-file="https://brettfish.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/joinedeeyore.jpg?w=593" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-7861" alt="joinedeeyore" src="https://brettfish.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/joinedeeyore.jpg?w=593&#038;h=395" width="593" height="395" srcset="https://brettfish.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/joinedeeyore.jpg 593w, https://brettfish.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/joinedeeyore.jpg?w=150&amp;h=100 150w, https://brettfish.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/joinedeeyore.jpg?w=300&amp;h=200 300w" sizes="(max-width: 593px) 100vw, 593px" /></a></p>
<p><strong>do i have any people like that in my life? do you?</strong></p>
<p>and if not, is there someone who may be that person but we may not have invited them in to the group like Pooh and the gang above?</p>
<p><strong>do our friends need to measure up to a certain level to earn the right and privilege of sticking around?</strong></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><strong>= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =</strong></p>
<p style="text-align:left;">a second thing when it comes to friendship is that as much as<strong> i LOVE to have fun and be silly and crazy and ridiculous with my friends</strong> [you know who you are!]<strong> i also very much like to think deeply and wrestle with faith and life and God and money and stuff and things</strong>. fortunately <strong>i have good mates that i can do both with</strong>. and for the most part find both of those things in a lot of my good friends which is great.</p>
<p style="text-align:left;">and in amongst a vomitarium of kitch and cheesy friendship quote posters on the Uncle Google,<strong> i managed to locate this gem, which i really like&#8230;</strong></p>
<p style="text-align:left;"><a href="https://brettfish.wordpress.com/2014/03/13/what-kind-of-friend-are-you-anyway/deepfriend/" rel="attachment wp-att-7864"><img loading="lazy" data-attachment-id="7864" data-permalink="https://brettfish.wordpress.com/2014/03/13/what-kind-of-friend-are-you-anyway/deepfriend/" data-orig-file="https://brettfish.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/deepfriend.jpg" data-orig-size="275,183" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;}" data-image-title="deepfriend" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://brettfish.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/deepfriend.jpg?w=275" data-large-file="https://brettfish.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/deepfriend.jpg?w=275" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-7864" alt="deepfriend" src="https://brettfish.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/deepfriend.jpg?w=275&#038;h=183" width="275" height="183" srcset="https://brettfish.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/deepfriend.jpg 275w, https://brettfish.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/deepfriend.jpg?w=150&amp;h=100 150w" sizes="(max-width: 275px) 100vw, 275px" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><strong>= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =</strong></p>
<p style="text-align:left;">the third thing i have mentioned a bunch of times, because i believe in it so strongly and i feel like these three pictures combinedly capture the essence of it:</p>
<p><a href="https://brettfish.wordpress.com/2014/03/13/what-kind-of-friend-are-you-anyway/mlk/" rel="attachment wp-att-7863"><img loading="lazy" data-attachment-id="7863" data-permalink="https://brettfish.wordpress.com/2014/03/13/what-kind-of-friend-are-you-anyway/mlk/" data-orig-file="https://brettfish.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/mlk.jpg" data-orig-size="259,194" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;}" data-image-title="mlk" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://brettfish.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/mlk.jpg?w=259" data-large-file="https://brettfish.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/mlk.jpg?w=259" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-7863" alt="mlk" src="https://brettfish.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/mlk.jpg?w=259&#038;h=194" width="259" height="194" srcset="https://brettfish.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/mlk.jpg 259w, https://brettfish.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/mlk.jpg?w=150&amp;h=112 150w" sizes="(max-width: 259px) 100vw, 259px" /></a></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><a href="https://brettfish.wordpress.com/2014/03/13/what-kind-of-friend-are-you-anyway/wounds-2/" rel="attachment wp-att-7867"><img loading="lazy" data-attachment-id="7867" data-permalink="https://brettfish.wordpress.com/2014/03/13/what-kind-of-friend-are-you-anyway/wounds-2/" data-orig-file="https://brettfish.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/wounds1.jpg" data-orig-size="389,130" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;}" data-image-title="wounds" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://brettfish.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/wounds1.jpg?w=300" data-large-file="https://brettfish.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/wounds1.jpg?w=389" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-7867" alt="wounds" src="https://brettfish.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/wounds1.jpg?w=389&#038;h=130" width="389" height="130" srcset="https://brettfish.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/wounds1.jpg 389w, https://brettfish.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/wounds1.jpg?w=150&amp;h=50 150w, https://brettfish.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/wounds1.jpg?w=300&amp;h=100 300w" sizes="(max-width: 389px) 100vw, 389px" /></a></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><a href="https://brettfish.wordpress.com/2014/03/13/what-kind-of-friend-are-you-anyway/woundsfromafriend-2/" rel="attachment wp-att-7866"><img loading="lazy" data-attachment-id="7866" data-permalink="https://brettfish.wordpress.com/2014/03/13/what-kind-of-friend-are-you-anyway/woundsfromafriend-2/" data-orig-file="https://brettfish.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/woundsfromafriend1.jpg" data-orig-size="205,246" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;}" data-image-title="woundsfromafriend" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://brettfish.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/woundsfromafriend1.jpg?w=205" data-large-file="https://brettfish.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/woundsfromafriend1.jpg?w=205" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-7866" alt="woundsfromafriend" src="https://brettfish.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/woundsfromafriend1.jpg?w=205&#038;h=246" width="205" height="246" srcset="https://brettfish.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/woundsfromafriend1.jpg 205w, https://brettfish.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/woundsfromafriend1.jpg?w=125&amp;h=150 125w" sizes="(max-width: 205px) 100vw, 205px" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><strong>= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =</strong></p>
<p><strong>What about you? What do you look for in a friend? In fact, if you think of your best friend, what is the one characteristic that stands out for you in terms of something you realy appreciate in them?</strong></p>
<p><strong></strong> i would LOVE to hear some of those.</p>
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