Friends

I have discovered there are four kinds of friends in the world. The first kind are acquaintances, people we see occasionally, in church, at the gym, at the golf course. These people come and go in our lives.

The second kind are the people we see often, at work, neighbors, at the club. Circumstances dictate that they are in our lives for reasons other than our own.

The third kind are good friends who we might go out with from time to time, to the pub, to a movie, to the park, to lunch. These friends are trustworthy and care about us. They love us but maintain a distance.

The fourth kind are our kindred spirits. We can open our hearts to these friends and often do. When we are down they listen, when we are up they rejoice with us. These are the friends we can call at any hour, never wondering if it's a convenient time because there is no inconvenient time. They always return calls quickly and always want to see us. These are the friends who truly love us for what we are, not for what they want us to be. We can give and accept criticism with these friends because we both want each other to be happy and be more than we are today. These are the most special friends of all. These are our soul mates.