True Friends

They say blood is thicker than water, but sometimes, the people who stand by us the most aren’t our relatives—they’re our friends. True friendship isn’t about how long you’ve known someone but about who remains when times get tough.

Friends can become even closer than family during hard times. When I went through a difficult period in my life, my friends stood by me in ways some of my relatives didn’t. For example, my best friend, Lavi, supported and encouraged me more than my own cousins, who rarely made time to even hang out with me.

Of course, my parents were the most supportive of all, but not every family member was like my best friend. Through my own experiences, I’ve come to realize that friends are better when they are not much in number but much in quality.

This became even clearer to me when my family had to move frequently. Because of that, I “lost” some friends, but that taught and showed me which friends were true and which were not. Even if family is very essential and good, friends will never leave you if they are true to you.

In the end, family is important, but the people who truly care for us—whether related by blood or not—are the ones who make life richer. True friends become the family we choose.