MY DEFINITION OF A FRIEND IS YOU

A friend is like a sister you never had, a brother you always wanted, a companion you always hoped you’d find. A friend can feel like sunshine when there’s too much rain in your life, light when there is darkness, and food that nourishes the landscape of your soul. Having a friend can be pure vision to someone without direction and hope to someone in despair. A friend is someone who goes the extra mile with you and helps you turn the page and will be there until you find an answer to your prayer. When you find a friend, you feel as though you have found a personal treasure and been granted a special blessing.

A friend is someone you share your concerns with, from failures to triumphs, through the losing streaks, the dry periods, and the lucky breaks. A friend is someone who provides an anchor when you need balance, won’t sink in fear when you are challenge, but will believe with you that you can reach your goal. Friends laugh with you and cry with you. They listen and understand. They accept you without judgment and condition, and they love you just because. When your life gets messy or you’re not on top, a friend won’t turn away or trade you in for someone more useful or newsworthy or beautiful. Unlike someone who can see a need but remain unmoved by it, a friend is sensitive to your desires and your perceived needs, wants the best for you, whatever that is, and is available to listen, to talk, or to do whatever will help you most. A friend is there for you. Always.

A friend suggest but does not demand, lets you keep your opinions to yourself or share them, never insists that you agree, but lets you know that your friendship will survive if there ever is disagreement. A friend doesn’t want to know things about you that you don’t willingly want to share. When need to move a mountain or just get up some hill, a friend is your helper, your advocate, someone who’s on your side and won’t condemn or betray you. On the contrary, a friend accepts you and celebrates your uniqueness. A friend is there to offer you, not just superficial support, but also the important things, like shelter if you need it, food if you’re hungry, and understanding when you could use it most.

Friends will be there when you’re dressed up, to celebrate your accomplishments, but a true friend is also is not afraid to hug you if you’re down and dirty and it seems like you have nothings much to be proud of. A friend is more interested in the matters of your heart and the well being of your soul than your material possessions or your appearance to others. There is no such thing as tough to love a friend, for a friend knows it is your level of awareness and not games or manipulation, restrictions or conditions, that will change you, if you need changing. With open arms and acceptance, friends inspire one another to excel and succeed or just move on, and the behavior of a friend must be pure and simple unconditional love in order to educate the heart.

A friend loves you just the way you are, imperfections and all. Friends won’t try to change you. They know changing you is your business having just one friend can make life more beautiful and help you stay aware of its sacredness. Friends are essential to your emotional survival; they walk beside you when you need company, they stay quiet when you just need to talk, and they delight you when you’re short on joy. They know you number by heart, and they’re aware of your dreams. They’re often on your prayer list because they mean so much to you. When the going would be tougher alone, friends make you feel less alienated; they make you feel special. They make you feel that you matter, that you belong. Friends are people you spend your time with and share your heart space with, because you want to, not because you have to. They’re very important. When you have good friends in your life, you are so lucky. I just wanted you to know that you are all these things to me, and my definition of a friend is you.