when you need friends...

Are you familiar with Biblicard? It's a compilation of selected Bible verses written on small flash cards. I got mine- God's Promises Version in New Year of 2001 as a gift from Ate Lucille, a co-Balitang K writer then. I kept and used it since then.

It's like a handy help to find an answer from God's Word for every problem or human need, that's why every card comes with a distinct situationer. Whatever your need is, or whatever situation you are in, there's an answer from God's word. When you feel tempted, when you face separation, when you feel angry, when you face doubts, when you face grief, when you feel rebellious...and so on and so forth.

A minute ago, i randomly picked one card and what i got was a card pertaining to - "when you need friends"... and written on it is God's promise on finding friends: My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what i command. -John 15:12-14

I claim God's promise that He is my friend. With a friend like Jesus, how can you go wrong? Honestly, I feel so blessed with friends and I want to believe that I have this gift of keeping long-lasting friendships. Though I'm oceans and thousands of miles apart from most of them, the bond that keeps us connected is ever present.

Up to this day, I have remained close to friends I've met way way back I was 7. On top of mind is Bennet. Sadly for me, she and her family moved to Vancouver, Canada last year. She is Raph's Ninang, and her daughter Jodee is my inaanak too. She works for the DFA and was assigned at the Philippine Consular Office in Vancouver. Geographically, she and Airis, our common barkada in High School, are closer now. Airis has migrated to Toronto, Canada after she got married in 2001. When I went to Toronto early this year, I never passed the chance to see her again, of course with her hubby and two lovely daughters. She was so accomodating and though the time we spent together was not much, we surely had fun! On the other hand, our other friend Zerlene is now in Australia after working in Singapore for years with her husband. They already got their kids too.

Jet, one of my closest buddies in College, my thesismate and Raph's Ninang, has moved to Sidney, Australia last year also with her family. She's enjoying her new-found life there as a fulltime mom to her 2 daughters Cole & Audrey, my inaanak. She wishes that I'll be moving there too sometime in the future because when they were still applying for migration, she was already convincing me to follow suit.

Aga, also a College friend and barkada, has been in Singapore since 2002 I think. Closer to home at least! Last time we saw each other was in Feb. this year. Her 1 year-old daughter Anika is also my inaanak.

Another bestfriend of mine Mitch is leaving soon. She is moving to Dubai to join her husband who has been working there. I wonder how life would be without her- my prayerful friend, my churchmate and constant shoulder to cry on.

Thank God there's technology to help nurture relationships of people from different parts of the globe. YM, emails and text messaging have kept me connected and updated with my friends pronto! Indeed, there is no distance too great between friends. Yes i miss my old friends but true to our experience, what true friends can make is that they can grow separately without growing apart.

If there are friends of mine who are thousands and thousands miles apart from me, I have been blessed too with true friends whose physical and emotional presence are always at hand...whose loyalty and reliability are tried and tested. Evette and Otep, I thank God for you! I have more sunshiny days because of you.

A true friendship, unlike love, always lasts forever. People even say that for marriage to last, couples should, first and foremost, be the best of friends, because it is not a lack of love, but a lack of friendship that makes unhappy marriages. I wonder what is more worse, life without love or life without friendship?