We are excited to feature these two sisters (in the middle) and each of their besties for this fun article on '7 signs of a true friend'. We met up with these gals (and their parents) over at Watercolor Gardens over on 30A in Florida and then headed across the street over to the white sandy beaches for a beautiful sunset.

While God chooses our family members, we choose our friends, and sometimes, the friends we bring into our lives intentionally can mean just as much as our family, if not more. Our healthy relationships with our friends help us live a more joyful and meaningful life in way we don't even think of. We should never under value a true friend and those who support us though the good days and our bad days (we all have them).
1 Corinthians 15:33 tells us that bad company corrupts good character, it ruins good morals.
1. True and caring friends will accept you for who you are!
Supportive friends that truly care about you will love you for the person you are, flaws and all. And if you have brothers or sisters, we need to remember that we should always be this to our own family members.

Accepting someone for how they are does not mean that you have to agree on every subject or even have the same passions. In fact, different views and outlooks from our trusted friends can help expand our horizons. Don't ever hide your quirks and imperfections, as true friends love YOU for those reasons!
2. True and caring friends will accept you for who you are!
Let's face it, at any age, life has its ups and downs. Building supportive friendships at any age can help us get through the hard times, but building them during our teen years can create LIFE LONG FRIENDSHIPS and memories. A true friend, because they love you, will stand by to help overcome difficult moments and help face peer pressure issues. That could mean giving a shoulder to cry on, listening to your problems, or finding ways to cheer you up. Those small gestures can mean a lot especially during moments of self-doubt or nervousness.
3. True and caring friends will Celebrate Life with You
As we go from our teen years to college and onto building our own careers and families, a friend’s support not only matters during the hard times. A true friendship means each of you genuinely encourages the other to succeed. Unfortunately, disingenuous people may feel insecure and want you to fail. But a true and caring friend celebrates your life milestones, accomplishments, and journeys; and feels happy to see things go well.
4. True and caring friends Will Make the Time for you to Feel Valued
In life, and especially during teen years, our hectic schedules make it difficult to see our friends and even family as much as we would like. Your bestest friends will treat you as a priority and set aside quality time to catch up, whether through a phone call, stopping by the house, or even hopping on FaceTime to share some news.

5. True and caring friends Will Tell You the Rough Stuff
Believe it or not, if you choose your friends the right way, you will surround yourself with individuals who share your same core values. In this way, you can count on your friends to give good advice and help guide you through both exciting and difficult life adventures. Sometimes, we may not notice ourselves falling off track. A good friend will help us make better choices even if that means saying something we don’t always want to hear.
6. True and caring friends will Encourage You to Achieve Your Goals
Each and everyone one of us should strive to become the best version of ourselves, and a true friend will support you in achieving personal improvement. Whether it means cutting out unhealthy habits, pursuing a dream job, or cultivating a creative outlet, friends will give us the motivation to help follow through with the things we want to achieve.
7. True and caring friends Helps Us Feel Comfortable
Transparency breeds trust. Being vulnerable and transparent as the friend listening to a difficult issue, it can be hard to refrain from giving advice. Providing fake comfort, like “it will work out”, “you’re going to be fine,” “it’s not that big of a deal,” is silencing the voice of your friend who is confiding in you. Let the friend vent, and then validate her with her own words. Show her that you care and are listening intently by using her own words to confirm her emotions. When she says, “I’m so mad at them...” Repeat her words, “so you are mad at them.” Simple as it sounds, this takes the pressure off you for having to have the perfect advice, and instead allies you with your friend who needs reassurance that her feelings are valid. Remember, they are trusting you with their personal secrets. If this is something that you know you need to tell someone because there is abuse, neglect, or something criminal involved, it is ok to get the information through consistency and non-reactivity.
Being consistent and nonreactive means when they share the hard things, you don’t make faces of disgust, or show anger, but instead stay nonreactive. They don’t need added shame, fear, or doubt. Let your friend know that depending on what is shared, you might have to tell someone who can help them. It is best to have that conversation before they give all the details, because getting an adult, law enforcement, or other authorities might be the right answer, but it will never be the easy one. Letting your friend know that their secret is safe from their peers, but some information can only be handled by the law or other 3rd parties. Doing the right thing will be hard, but together, it can be done gently and smoothly.

Don't try to force that special connection between friends. It just happens. True friendships are people come together and feeling completely at ease being themselves with who they are around. Whether it means laughing at silly jokes, talking with a fun accent for hours, or talking the night away, a long-lasting friendship involves an easy connection in which individuals understand each other when simply showing all their quirks and inseuritiees.
Do you know of a special person who shows all the signs of a true friend? Don’t forget to be a good friend in return and show how much you care. Even if you haven't talked in a while, remember to reach out to the important people in your life who love and support you.
Gotta love that sister connection!
You might also like:
We do not provide medical advice, psychiatric diagnosis or treatment. All third-party trademarks, service marks, logos and domain names appearing on this web page are the property of their respective owners. None of these companies endorse, sponsor or are in any way affiliated with 30A VYBZ or Melonie Marie Photography.
Comentários