Gotta Love Madea. . .

A quote about friendship from Madea goes to Jail:

Some people come into your life for a lifetime and some come for a season. You have to know which is which. I put everybody that comes into my life in the category of a tree. Some people are leaves on a tree. The wind blows, they go to the left. The wind blows from the other way, they go to the right. They are just unstable. You can't count on them for nothing. All they ever do is take from that tree. What you need to understand about a leaf is that it has a season. It'll wither and die and blow away.There ain't no need to be praying over a leaf to be resurrected. When it's dead it's gone. Let it go! Some people are like that. All the leaf ever does is cool you off every now and then. If you're grown, you know what I'm talking about, because you can call them in the middle of the night and get cooled off. That's the leaf people. They come to take. Then there are people like a branch. You got to be careful with branch people. They come in all different shapes and sizes. You never know how strong they will be in your life. So my advice is to tip out on it slowly. When you're going out on a limb, don't put too much weight on it at once, because it can fall and leave you high and dry. Sometimes, you have to wait for a branch to grow up before it can hold all of the things you want to share with it. Finally, there are people who are like roots at the bottom of the tree. If you find yourself two or three people in your entire lifetime that are like the roots, then you are blessed. The roots don't care nothing about being seen. All they're there to do is hold that tree up, to make sure it stays in the air. It comes from the earth to give that tree everything it needs. That's what relationships should be about. That's what you need, people who want to be in your life for the right reasons. If somebody wants to walk out of your life, you've got to LET THEM GO! When you learn to love yourself, you will end up giving standards to everyone around you. Again, I repeat with emphasis, if they don't meet those standards, you have to let them go, because they might be a leaf. And forgive them with all your might.

I have mixed feelings about this analogy (big surprise). I think at one time or another, we are all of these types of friends to different people. We can't be everyone's best friend. We can't be the roots for too many people - eventually it starts sucking away at you. I'm sure we can all remember a time when we have been a leaf. When we've touched someone's life for a while only to move on down the road of life when the seasons change. Leaves aren't bad. Leaves are full of purpose, they bring just as much nutrients as roots but only for a short while. Without leaves a tree could not absorb energy from the sun. It's not a bad thing that time passes and leaves fall. The tree doesn't hate the leaves when they go. I'm sure they miss them terribly but it's just part of life. Same with friendships. Those wonderful people who come into your life in a whirlwind and bring you joy for a time should not be hated when they go, instead their memory should be cherished.