loneliness, By Burim (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons
Father,
some of my friends are living
under a dark shadow of loneliness.
And loneliness is no one’s friend.
Therefore, Father,
friend of the friendless,
I pray that
through me
you will become a friend
to the widow
whose loneliness is
a half-empty life,
to the adolescent
whose loneliness is
hidden in a fog of unidentity,
to the recently divorced
whose loneliness sets
him against a world of duets,
to the business leader
whose loneliness is
making decisions all alone,
to the pastor
whose loneliness is
his all-consuming love,
to the housewife
whose loneliness is
overwork without thanks.
Father,
friend of the friendless,
I pray that
you will become a friend
through me
to persons who are lonely.
Francis A. Martin, American mental health counselor
_____________
One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin,
but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
prayer & verse 
A wonderful prayer for all of us trying to incorporate hospitality into the fabric of our lives.
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