Why is friendship good? Life would be lonely, desolate It is as necessary to the spirit as food is to the body All cultures tell us of it and praise it Scriptures Makes us laugh, listens to us, lends a hand, is fun, consoles Jesus is a model of true friendship

On Loose Leaf What are the qualities that you associate with true friendship? In a paragraph, what does friendship mean to you?

Who are true friends? Someone to be “real” with Share common things Mutual caring: “I” “Thou” relationship Glimpse of eternal “Thou” Questions to ask: Do we bring out the best in each other? Are we loyal and honest with each other? Is our relationship mutual and caring? Do we accept each other for who we are? Are we generous with each other?

Children’s Books Create a children’s book which teaches the qualities of true friendship. Choose one of the qualities from pg and write a book which clearly illustrates the quality. Consider Will you use people or animals? Age level and reading abilities of audience Book should be 4 pages with a front and back cover You will only have 60 min of class time Books are due Thursday

Write the name of your best friend the top of loose leaf 1. Does your friend bring out the best in you? Give specific examples to support. 2. Do you bring out the best in your friend give specific examples to support. 3. Describe one time when your friend was loyal in adversity or honest in a difficult situation. 4. Describe a time when you were loyal and honest.

Reflection…(cont.) 5. Is your relationship mutual and equal? How so? Or why not? 6. What are things in your friend that you find hard to accept? How do you deal with those? 7. What are things in you they may find hard to accept? How do they deal with those? 8. When has your friend been generous with you? Use specific examples. 9. When have you been generous with your friend?

Discussion What does it mean to be a loyal friend? Why is loyalty so important to friendships? What kinds of things are you willing to do to demonstrate your loyalty to a friend? What are examples of a misguided or unhealthy understanding of loyalty in regard to friendship?

How can I be a true friend? Loyal, acceptance, honest, available, unselfish, generous, helpful, equality Encourage other in use of talents, decisions, see best Never desert, walk out, pressure, lie to or for Both call, choose fun, give gifts, speak and listen, can be open, honest, critical when needed Accept faults, forget past mistakes, overlook the superficial Go out of your way, share home, lend things, support

Best Friend Tell anything about self, hopes, dreams, fears Keeps secrets Can say anything in conversation Never lies, either to or for Really listens in conversation Can always count on Shares interest Developed over time Lucky to have a few

Friends Tell most things Say most things to Almost always listens Mostly count on

Acquaintances School mates, later work colleagues Neighborhood friends, later clubs, committees Church friends Know who they are and a little about them Person at the bodega, favorite restaurant

Collaborators Common interests Work on school projects together When project is over don’t necessarily continue

Buddies Sports team or activity Need shared activity or the relationship evaporates Some people rely exclusively on buddy relationships

Relatives as friends When you choose them to be your friends Doubly good because of special closeness Share additional family interests, gatherings, memories, culture, heritage

Intimacy Friendship develops over time in moments of intimacy Can be developed in almost any activity

Types of Intimacy Types of intimacy Work Emotional Intellectual Crisis Common-cause Spiritual Aesthetic Recreational Creative Read pg. 156 to 158 and write down an example of each type of intimacy

Why does friendship end? Distance Changes in person Competition/Envy Money/Favors Overdependence Betrayal

How did you feel? Peaceful, relieved, positive, resentful, painful, bitter, hurt

How did you let go? Listen, understand, forgive Let go “formally” have an official good bye Write a letter Put away reminders Remember the good parts that were real friendships and then look for these in next relationship Assess the relationship for the real friendship…