“Portrait of a Friend”
I can’t give solutions to all of life’s problems, doubts, or fears. But I can listen to you,
and together we will search for answers.
I can’t change your past with all it’s heartache and pain, nor the future with its untold stories.
But I can be there now when you need me to care.
I can’t keep your feet from stumbling. I can only offer my hand that you may grasp it and not fall.
Your joys, triumphs, successes, and happiness are not mine; Yet I can share in your laughter.
Your decisions in life are not mine to make, nor to judge; I can only support you, encourage you,
and help you when you ask.
I can’t prevent you from falling away from friendship, from your values, from me.
I can only pray for you, talk to you and wait for you.
I can’t give you boundaries which I have determined for you,
but I can give you the room to change, room to grow, room to be yourself.
I can’t keep your heart from breaking and hurting,
but I can cry with you and help you pick up the pieces and put them back in place.
I can’t tell you who you are. I can only love you and be your friend.
–unknown
