11/26/2025
Friends Are Like Lighthouses
Friends are like lighthouses.
They donât still the water
or quiet the approaching storm,
but they stand where land meets
the uncertainty of the sea,
offering their light
without asking anything in return.
You donât always notice them
when the day is bright
and the path is clear;
their shape blends
into the familiar horizon.
But the moment the weather turns,
when grief thickens the air,
when loneliness fogs your sense of direction,
their presence becomes unmistakable.
A friendâs light isnât a rescue.
It doesnât tow you back to shore
or fix the damage
youâve taken along the way.
It is a steady, recurring assurance:
I see you. I havenât looked away.
Iâm keeping watch
while you find your way through this.
That beam, sweeping across dark water,
is sometimes the only thing
that reminds you
youâre not drifting unseen.
And the beauty of lighthouses,
like friends,
is that they keep shining
even when you canât bring yourself
to call for help.
They donât demand explanations,
donât ask you to justify your sorrow;
their light simply continues,
faithful, patient, unwavering,
until you feel ready
to move toward safety again.
Friends donât save us
from the storms of our lives.
They give us something more human:
a fixed point of compassion
to steer by
so that even in the deepest darkness
we do not feel lost.
~ 'Friends Are Like Lighthouses' by Spirit of a Hippie
âď¸ Mary Anne Byrne
~ Art by Bea Taverna