My Dad has always told me, “if you go through life with one good friend, consider yourself lucky.”
We meet many people and often we think of them as friends when, in reality, most are just acquaintances. A true friend is someone very special and rare. They are someone who enters your life, respects and values you, cares deeply about you, and never breaks your trust. It’s not just about having someone to talk to, or have fun with. It is someone who feels more like family, someone who you can count on to be there for you no matter what challenges you both may face.
If you ever find yourself feeling sad or lonely, or you’re simply having a bad day, whether you’re five minutes or five hundred miles away, you can always rely on a true friend to be there, to comfort you, and put a smile on your face. A true friend is someone who you can be yourself with and not worry about being judged. However, true friends will also be honest with you and tell you like it is, even if it’s tough love that you need to receive. They will give you their candid opinions and criticisms, not to bring you down, but because they have your best interests at heart. They know you better than anyone else, oftentimes better than you know yourself. There is nothing like having someone who can finish your sentences or laughs at the same jokes year after year. Life can be tough at times. True friends give us the strength and hope to carry on.
In the end, it comes down to respect and trust. When you truly respect someone, you care about each other’s most private thoughts and you trust that that those secrets will be kept sacred for life. None of us are perfect. When we fall, we need someone to pick us up. A true friend listens and comforts, advises and cares. Most of all, a true friend would never talk to others about your conversations or go behind your back. Even though you may have different interests or points of view, a true friend respects you and finds ways to share in the joys of life, to laugh at those differences and challenge each other to try new things, reach new heights, and make new memories that will last a lifetime.
I’m fortunate to have two true friends. They say that there is no better friend than a sister, and I have the kindest, most caring sister, Julia. I know that many years from now, long after our Mom and Dad are gone, Julia and I will always have each other. Yes, we’ve fought over clothes and silly stuff over the years. I can’t count the times that I demanded that she “got out of my room.” But, I love Julia and I know that she will always be my first and forever friend.
And, I also have a “best friend,” Emily. Emily has seen me at my best and my worst and she always knows the right thing to do, or say, to make me laugh. Like my sister, Julia, she supports me in everything I do, always honest and trustworthy. Emily cheers me up when I am down, she understands me, but most of all, she respects me.
To Julia and Emily, thank you for your true friendship and love. To all, never forget the meaning of true friendship –understanding and love.
“It’s wonderful to be loved, but it’s profound to be understood” -Ellen DeGeneres