Friendship: Good for the Body, Good for the Soul

le will walk in and out of your life; but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart."-- Unknown *

Friends
are our truest treasures. How many times have they: Made us laugh when
we felt like crying over a bad mistake? Made us feel loved when our
boyfriends (or girlfriends) broke up with us? Gave us the courage to go
back to school or to change careers? Like armor, good friends make us
almost invincible, capable of warding off the blows life occasionally
deals us. Because of their steadfastness, we see setbacks for what they
are: temporary.
Because friends accept us for who we are, we gain the confidence to
dream great dreams—and to make them real. Friends liven up our days
with their twisted humor, their honest answers, and their ability to
bear our gloating when we beat them at golf or tennis. We can even
trust them with our most embarrassing secrets! What a relief it is for
us to reveal our true selves to someone! It’s no wonder, then, that medical researchers have
found that those who have friends tend to be happier, healthier, and
live longer than those who do not. In fact, friendship has numerous
physical and spiritual benefits.