Having women and men we trust enough to share our deepest secrets with is a gift.  While it’s true that most of us already had friends, we seldom told them everything about ourselves.  We held back the most intimate details to protect ourselves.  We thought if they really knew us, they’d never want to be our friends.

Friends don’t judge, they don’t try to control, they accept how other people are, and they never betray a confidence.  They listen, they love, and they offer hope.  And they don’t run away when they don’t like what they hear.