“If ever there is tomorrow when we’re not together…there is something you must always remember. you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. but the most important thing is, even if we’re apart.. I’ll always be with you.” – Winnie the Pooh
Pooh’s kind words are the words of a true and loving friend. You never really leave the sphere of influence of a true friend, no matter how far apart you may be nor how long it has been since you last spoke in the shade of a willow tree.
A real friend…
A real friend uplifts in times of need, disagrees when you are wrong and forgives in all things. A true friend never seeks your agreement in denigrating another, for true friendship is based entirely in love and never in hatred, the absence of love.
Unconditional love…
Unconditional love is your birthright. There is nothing more inspiring or powerful than unconditional love. When you love, truly love, your expression blesses, uplifts, strengthens and encourages. True love is not blind, in fact, it intensifies all that it touches. Love is the natural currency of friendship.
A true friend…
A true friend is great in stature and noble in expression. You would be wise to heed the words of Mark Twain: “Keep away from those who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you think you too can become great.” The company you keep helps to amplify the value of your life. If you express love through those with whom you associate, you give a gift that can be given again, without fear of depletion or exhaustion. Whenever the gift of love is received and re-gifted, the world is made a better place.
Have no fear, my friends, for Virgil’s instruction is as true now as when he said it 2,000 years ago: “Love conquers all.”
Gregory Hake 
My favorite post yet. Beautiful! Thank you!!!!
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Those who have had the experience of true friendship and true love always seem to be able to capture the essence of their experience in words (whether through beautiful poetry or the simplest adjective).
Your descriptions touched my heart and remind me of how much I love my friends and how powerful unconditional love is.
Thank you.
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Great Blog!
We go through life as children, teenagers, and adults and as we grow our ideas on friendship grow along with us. I appreciate you sharing the line from a children’s book that means more to me as an adult than it did as a child.
There are those we come to know as friends and then there are those who are true friends, those that help us remember our birthright, that teach us by example what unconditional love is, helping us know our true greatness. Some of these friends move on for various reasons…. marriage, job transfers etc., but there is always a part of them with you in what they have taught you through the experiences you shared together.
Thank you for the reminder to be that true friend to those we love and have the blessing to be with now.
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Reading your post makes me think of anything that has really mattered in my life has related to friendship and love. True friendship and unconditional love are the glue that holds everything together and the two most important things that create everything wonderful in the world. Thanks for your beautiful words.
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Oh, I loved this post!! I didn’t realize Winnie was so poetic, but I remember that he was always a good friend 🙂 Thanks for your inspiring words about love and friendship.
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Thanks for posting this Gregg. True friendship is something that should be cherished, and something that can grow as the individual friends grow. I think you’re right that true love is the natural currency of friendship, and true friends are very rich in love. It is a great thing to be able to reconsider what kind of a friend you are to people, and to know that true friendship is always available if the two people are “great in stature and noble in expression”. One of these things (great in stature) deals with how you treat yourself, and the other (noble in expression) deals with how you treat others. You really do need both to be a true friend.
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