When Good Friendships Turn to Betrayal

Disillusioned, disgusted, demoralized . . . All words to discribe how I feel now that I know I've experienced betrayal. Betrayed by whom? My friends. Well, at least that's who I thought they were. I recently heard a saying that fit so well - "You never know who your friends are until they prove to you that they are not."

I'm just one of those people who find it very hard to resist helping others in need. Until recently, I felt that was a good quality. I had a few close friends who were suffering with personal and financial problems (aren't we all in some way, shape, or form?). I had the means to offer my time, my resources, and my guidance to this group of individuals. When a difficult situation presented itself to our group, my friends not only abandoned me, they vehemently turned on me forgetting everything I had done to help them in their times of need. Wow, what a slap in the face? Now as a result, my life and my livelihood have changed - for the better or worse is yet to be seen.

Now, please don't get me wrong. I'm not entirely jaded regarding helping those in need; however, I have learned some valuable lessons that I would like to pass on to other giving souls like myself.

1. Be true to your values - if you feel the need to help others, do so. Just be aware that some people are very good at taking, but very poor at giving back.

2. Take off your blinders - just because a person is willing to accept help from you doesn't necessarily mean that they will be loyal to you.

3. Trust karma - what goes around comes around.

There will be times in all our lives when the people we surround ourselves with let us down. Don't let your big heart be broken by bad friends.