Abraham Lincoln once said, “The better part of one’s life consists of his friendships.” Indeed, friends are an important part of life. True friends can make life so much better. So, how do we recognize a true friend? There are certain qualities which are found in a true friend.
One of the qualities of a true friend is honesty. Being open and honest is important to every friendship as trust is built upon these qualities. Without trust, there can be no true friendship. Being honest does not mean revealing everything about your private life. Honesty simply means being straightforward and clear about one’s intentions, and being truthful about one’s opinions. True friends would not lie to us or hide their true thought and feelings. True friends would be honest about who they are and welcome our honesty in return.
A true friend is also one who stands by us through thick and thin. When everything is going well, it is easy to find friends. When trouble comes and we need help, however, fair-weather friends who are only interested in having a good time are nowhere to be found. A true friend cares about what happens to us and wants us to be happy. Such friends will comfort and support us. A dear friend’s support gives us strength and courage to face our troubles. Often, a true friend also does his best to help us overcome our problems.
Finally, true friends are forgiving. It is quite certain that relationships will go through difficult times. Friends may not see eye to eye about everything all the time. Disagreements are bound to happen. There may be misunderstanding. A true friend is willing to forgive and forget. A true friend will not hold a grudge and try to get back at us and also willing to apologize for his mistakes.
In a nutshell, a true friend is one who honest, supportive and forgiving. I believe that no true friendship is possible without these three qualities. Always remember that you should not only look for a friend with these qualities, but also strive to upload these qualities yourself.
WORD FILE
revealing - making known or telling
strive - try hard
IDIOMATIC EXPRESSIONS
through thick and thin - during good times and bad times
fair-weather friends - friends who are friendly only in good times
see eye to eye - agree
hold a grudge - stay angry for a long time with someone
