The "Great Friend" Review

Just for something a little different today, I thought I would create a 'great friend' review ; ) If you're as lucky as me, you have a couple of special friends in your life that have always been there for you. So if we were going to 'review' one of these special people, what would they look like? And more importantly, am I being that same great friend back?

The Great Friend Review

1) An excellent listener.
2) Always finds a way to encourage. Even in the toughest situations, are they the kind of person who still can find a way to help you move forward? Or are they just complaining with you. The 'great' friend will sympathize for awhile, but they always have a way of helping you re-focus on the positive outcome and nudge you with that little extra strength to keep going.
3) Tells the truth, even when it's tough. Having someone who just agrees with you all the time may feed your ego, but is that really a 'great' friend? The best friends I have found also have the courage to tell me when they disagree with me. They aren't afraid to gently point out to me things that I might be missing in a situation because my perspective may be biased.
4) If I won a million dollars my friend would be thrilled. A great friend wishes good for you and wont' be jealous if you excel. They will be probably just about as excited as you are. I always think about John the Baptist here. He had no problem giving the limelight to Jesus. His love and respect were so huge and he didn't feel the least bit threatened.
5) Quick to forgive. We all make mistakes and great friends are realistic about our humanity. They don't hold grudges and they have the humility to know they are just as likely to make a mistake as you are. So they always opt for grace.
6) Attitude of Gratitude. I have a lot of friends, but the ones that I like to spend the most time with are those that have a real gratitude for their lives that seems to 'leak' into everything they do. They are quick to appreciate a beautiful sunrise, generous with their smile, and are just generally grateful for the little things in life. Even the smallest kindness makes their day and they are a joy to be around.
7) Unconditional acceptance.  Do I feel like I have to quickly clean my house before letting my friend visit me at home? Great friends are always more concerned with the relationship, not with how perfect your house or your life is.
8) Willing to share their last piece of chocolate.  Now that is true generosity ; )
9) Lives their own life with integrity.  People who have integrity will have it in all situations.  Need I say more?
10) Great sense of humor.  This is just a personal preference but I love the kind of person that can find something funny in a situation.  How great to call with a concern and be laughing with each other by the time you hang up the phone.  It keeps life lighter.  What a gift.


There may be other measures for our 'Great Friend' review, but these are some of the biggies. So, how do your best friends rank? How do you rank?  May we all be blessed with friends like this and also be that friend to others.