John 11:3, 5 (NIV)
So the sisters sent word to Jesus,
"Lord, the one you love is sick."
Now Jesus loved Martha
and her sister and Lazarus.
I am loved as a friend, and I am not alone.
Henri Nouwen, from Out of Solitude
"When we honestly ask ourselves which persons 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."
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