True Friends

"Many people will walk in and out of you life, but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart."

I went to a hens party last night, yes it's been a while since I last attended one. The bride-to-be had a huge number of friends from every stage of her life at her party and it got me to thinking about the value of a true friend.

We go through many stages of our lives, and I know there are many people that I number amongst my friends, who vary in levels of importance dependent on the stage of my life that they come into it. Some I see regularly, some not so often and some not at all. Yet as the quote says above, they have all left footprints in my heart and have been important to me at some stage.

Yet, I look at the bride-to-be and I believe she has kept every friend through the different stages of her life. From school friends, to work friends, to social friends - we were all there. I guess moving a lot through my childhood contributed to friends coming and going within my life, yet never lessens their value to me.

So what is a true friend? A true friend is someone:

• who knows everything about you, but loves you anyway
• who is there for you to celebrate the good times and support you through the bad times
• who doesn't judge
• who would never deliberately hurt you
• who is supportive of your goals and dreams
• who you can trust
• who doesn't take advantage of you

That about sums up the list of vital qualities and I find myself questioning a friend who is being so badly treated by a 'supposed' friend - it makes my blood boil and I have to fight the urge to attack the guilty party. I restrain myself with the knowledge that her closer friends share my dismay and are supporting her. In other words - they're being true friends.

Are you a true friend?

Cheers for now