What makes a good friend?

Webster's dictionary defines a friend as, "One who is personally well known by oneself and for whom one has warm regard or affection." Friends usually play an important part in our lives. They influence the decisions we make and provide us with comfort and support in times of need. Some people like to have lots of friends and others prefer one or two very close ones. What makes a good friend? A certainly viable answer is someone who is caring, patient, kind, and accepting. But people may have many different answers as to what makes a good friend in their book. Is there really one answer?

One answer that comes to mind in searching for friends is trust. Without trust a friendship means nothing. What good is a friend that is able to hear secrets but turns around and shares them with whomever they wish? There are many definitions of the different types of friends that exist in the world. There is the best friend that is like a sister or brother. There is the best friend that knows most of the secrets but some are still kept sacred. Then we have various other kinds of friends. Those who are close friends that we trust, but not enough to be our best pals. They can be trusted people who we don't see very often or maybe in passing. Within all of these people one thing Is for sure, trust is the main component.

With trust comes loyalty. Loyalty, as a general term, it signifies a person's devotion or sentiment of attachment to a particular object, which may be another person or group of persons. What better in a friendship than someone who is there in thick and thin? When one doesn't have either of these traits a friendship may go sour causing an end to whatever kind of relationship there may have been. Nobody can live alone in the world; everybody needs a friend. We need friends in our lives who can help us when we are in trouble, who can stand by us through the hard times and put an arm around us and comforts us when we cry, who can cheer us up when we are frustrated