Friends are people travelling in the same direction, they have similar aspirations and goals, and they encourage each other in reaching those goals. Friends are not people who tear you down, they are not people who are jealous. They are people who can help you develop your talents and gifts with thoughtful advice and direction. Genuine friendship means caring and concern and a desire to see the other person's dreams and desires come to fruition. It is not only giving help, but accepting it as well. A true friend is someone you can trust. Someone you can be accountable with and someone who will not take your personal issues outside of your friendship unless absolutely necessary. Trust is the most important factor in any friendship and once broken, it's hard to get back to where you started. Friendship involves giving time, because time equals sacrifice. Friendship is listening even when you want so badly to interject. Just listen.
Aristotle considered friendship a necessity to live. He claimed that no individual would choose to live without friends even if the individual had all of the other good things in life. He also describes friendship as a virtue. He felt that it is something that every human must have in order to reach a peaceful state of mind. It has all of the qualities of good as long as both parties in the friendship are considered good.
I feel so blessed to have, in addition to my husband, and close family, a handful of very good friends. I couldn't always say that. Acquaintances were in abundance, and I thought back then, that these relationships would last forever. Oh, the naivety of childhood. Over the years, these people have come and gone. It's the real ones that are hard to pick out. The real ones love you not in spite of your imperfections, but because of them.
Thank you for loving me. I only hope I've given you in return what you've given to me.
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