You’ve heard of it before more particularly with this app so popular on Facebook where they remind you of the date you’ve been friends with people in your contact list.
But what exactly is the term”friendversary?” It is a slang word which is a combination of friendship and anniversary. Just like what BFF means to some people, best friends forever. It simply means friendship anniversary. I don’t really mind it when Facebook posts those reminders. I have been friends with some people in my contact list for so long even before Facebook was created.
For more than four decades now, I’ve been friends with three ladies whom I met at the UST Main Library. We were all student librarians before and were assigned at the same section of the library which was the Humanities. Thea is now a professed nun, a Franciscan working for the welfare of the Mangyans in Mindoro province. Precy is a successful businesswoman while Grace migrated to Canada and married a Canadian. We don’t often see each other now but we still get in touch. Precy, Thea and I are all cancer survivors.
What makes that friendship so special? Some say that the friendship you formed earlier in life is more enduring and more lasting. You have experienced things together during your younger years. You have shared a lot and it doesn’t really matter that you don’t get to see one another as often as you want. There is that bond that you cannot just erase. That kind of friendship that when you see each other, it seems that nothing has changed, you pick up where you left before. You have made them part of your family. You can grow separately without growing apart.
I always love these words from Henri Nouwen. This is what real friendship means.
“When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives mean the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand. The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing, not curing, not healing and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is a friend who cares.”
I suppose I’m not a believer in all these modern terminologies, I’m quite old fashioned, but I believe in those long term friendships that live forever
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I too am not comfortable using that word Ivor. When the friendship is real, you can celebrate anytime, right?
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Yes. A real friendship does not need all those false overtures
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They are inventing lots of words which we in old school are not so familiar with. What about that “selfie” thing? Not fond of selfie too and those filters on one’s photo. They make the picture so flawless and unnatural.
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A perfect quotation
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Thanks Derrick!
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I don’t know anything about Facebook, Arlene. But I don’t need to be reminded of when I met my best friends. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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That’s true, I guess it’s FB’s way of reminding people that you have met someone worth-remembering.
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beautiful words of Henri Nouwen, Arlene. friends are truly life’s treasures. 🙂
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Glad to know you like his words on friendship Pete. Thanks!
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I have friends from my young years and new friends after retirement. All are very special. Now I have blogging friends from all over the world. How blessed can one person be??? I’m so happy you are one of my special people.
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Thank you so much Anne. Yes, we have found friends in this blogging platform. so lovely isn’t it?
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I was just telling my husband how close I still feel with the people I went to elementary school with. That was eight years of small classes and time outdoors every day. I know you treasure your long time friends too.
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Forever friends. When you find them, they are for keeps.
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I don’t like it, Arlene especially when I saw people who are in my list but never been in contact. But it also funny because I realise that they’re still there. Thanks for sharing and a lovely weekend.
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You can always remove those you are not comfortable with. I don’t add people I am not so familiar with and don’t know personally. FB is so noisy, right? Have a nice weekend too Nahla.
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Yes, Arlene, I know. I don’t add any one i don’t know on facebook. But I mean those who I know, some of them are always active but never or rarely be in contact, so I just think what’s the point of celebrating this friendversaries?
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Haha, I get it Nahla. Some don’t even visit FB. Yes, I think it is a useless exercise to celebrate it when the friendship is just one-sided. For it to work, we must nurture each other, right? So far though, I haven’t yet received friendversary reminders with those who are not close to me.
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Beautiful quote about friendship. Thank you for sharing your story, Arlene!
It also makes me wonder about how social media impacts on friendship.
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Friendship is here to stay as long as we know how to nurture it. Thanks Amy.
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Well said, Arlene.
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Thank you.
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