Acquaintance and Friend
George Elliot wrote:
"A friend is one to whom one may pour out all the contents of one's
hear, chaff and grain together, knowing that the gentlest of 
hands will take and sift it.  Keep what is worth keeping, and with
a breath of kindness, blow the rest away."

There is a difference between being an acquaintance and being a friend.

First, an acquaintance is someone
whose name you know,
whom you see every now and then,
with whom you probably have something in common,
and around whom you feel comfortable.

It's a person that you can invite to your home
and share things with.
But they are people with whom you wouldn't
share your life, whose actions sometimes
you don't understand because you don't know enough
about them...

On the other hand, a friend is someone you love.

Not that you are "in love" with him or her,
but you care about the person, and you
think about him or her when they are
not there.

Friends are people of whom you are
reminded when you see something they might
like, and you know this because you know
them so well.

They are the people you see in your mind when
you hear a song on the radio because they
made you go up to the person they like and ask
them to dance with them; or maybe YOU danced
with them, maybe they stepped on your
toes, or just put their head on your shoulder.

They are the people around whom you feel safe
because you know they care about you.
They call just to see how you are doing,
because friends don't need an excuse.

They tell you the truth - the first time -
and you do the same.
You know that if they do hurt you,
they try to make it up to you.

They are the people you love, regardless
of whether you realize it.

They are the people with whom you cried
when you got rejected from colleges
and during the last song at prom and
at graduation.

They are the people that when you hug them,
you don't think about how long to hug
and who's going to be the first one to let go.

Maybe they are the people that hold the rings
at your wedding, or maybe they are
the people that give you away at your
wedding, or maybe they are the people you marry.
They are certainly the people that cry at
your wedding because they are happy,
or because they are proud, or because
they are so in love.

They are the people who stop you from
making mistakes and help you when
you do.

They are the people whose hand you
can hold, or you can hug or give them
a kiss and not have it be awkward,
because they understand the things you
do and they love you for them.

They stick with you and stand by you.
They hold your hand.
They watch you live, and you watch them
live, and you learn from them.

Your life is not the same without them.
These are your friends.
How many do you have?