In praise of friends

That must have been so hard whitewave. I'm sad for you.
A lot is written on GN about family ties and so on, but real friendship means just as much and often more.

Sorry to hear about your friend.
Those are lovely comments on friendship, I have a couple of good friends that I don't see often but would really miss them in my life.

I am so sorry whitewave. True friends are worth their weight in gold

My sympathy, Whitewave. Your thoughts on friendship are wonderful and so true. Having lost some dear friends myself I know how you feel.

Nick Robinson was in a position not unlike yours whitewave when he visited friend Steve Hewlett a few days before his death. As well as being BBC colleagues they had the shared experience of Robinson's cancer and he wrote this early one morning shortly afterwards.

"‘One last conversation
So much to say.
So little actually said.
But the pills, the piles of sympathetic letters, the constant flow of visitors said it all
We chat, we gossip, we exchange insights about our shared world.
I’m too British, too male, too stiff upper-lipped to really talk about the fact that it’s a world you and I both know you’ll soon be leaving
To talk about the fact that your “battle” is almost at an end
You “fought” they said.
You’ve been so “brave” they said
Yet you know, I know, anyone who has faced it knows differently
Cancer is not a battle.
There is no choice whether to fight let alone whether to win or lose.
No amount of courage no measure of cowardice can decide the outcome.
There is no virtue in survival. Certainly no lack of it in death.
I lived.
You now know that you will not.
Luck. Chance. Fate. Nothing more. Nothing less.
You didn’t …couldn’t choose
You didn’t …couldn’t decide.
Save, that is, for one thing.
You chose to confront your sickness, your pain, your fear in public
Your decision made thousands realise they were not alone
That really was brave. That a choice that let others know that their sickness, their pain and their fear was not, in fact, just theirs
That one last conversation which was so very worthwhile having.
As I leave you gripped my arm. An unspoken goodbye.
Only now do I know what I should have said.
No one who heard you talk about what you’ve faced will ever forget
Oh yes and one more thing.
Thank you.’ "

Thinking of you ww and all in similar circumstances

Read more: metro.co.uk/2017/02/20/read-bbcs-nick-robinson-heartbreaking-tribute-to-radio-4-presenter-steve-hewlett-6461893/#ixzz4Zgu5mwlf

whitewave you have written so beautifully about what your dear friend means to you. Please consider sharing this with her family - it will mean so much.

My friend has passed. Rest in Peace Gill.

RIP

Such a beautiful and heartfelt tribute to your lovely friend whitewave.

Sincere condolences to you. x

Well said PoshGran

I'm welling up just thinking how I'd feel at the loss of my lovely friend of nearly 50 yrs.
Beautifully put ww I hope her end is peaceful.

"Say not in grief "she is no more", but live in thankfulness that she was" ~ Hebrew proverb

So sad. Well put whitewave. Nick Robinson's writing was beautiful too. At least we had them , friends I mean. It seems to be a bad time of year for it. DH has lost 2 friends this month.
Another funeral next Friday.
And for whitewave

How lucky you and your dear friend were to have found each other, whitewave. My sincere condolences for your loss of Gill.

whitewave what sad news for you. Take care of yourself

So sad. So sorry

My sincere condolences to you whitewave.

So sorry to hear your sad news, whitewave

So sorry whitewave

Sorry for your loss of a good friend whitewave ?

So sorry whitewave A true friend is one of life's treasures

So sorry, whitewave.

I am so grateful for one of my friends in particular at the moment too.

Sad news, whitewave, so sorry for your loss . Good friends are very special.

Thank you for all your lovely and kind messages. I've done nothing but sit all day ate cake (gluten free) and now having a glass of wine. Will get back to normal tomorrow or I will end up the size of a bus!

whitewave Condolences on your loss. I love my friends like my family and I feel sad for you.