Our friends are gifts. They are there for the good times and the bad, the celebrations and the sorrows, all the big and the small stuff. They are there for the job promotion and the demotion, for the marriage and the divorce, and for the hope and for the heartbreak. Friends are our confidants, partners in crime, buddies, gal pals and trusted counselors.

"A friend is someone who knows everything about you, but likes you anyway," goes the saying. There is no other human relationship like that of a friend. Unlike a sister, you chose a friend; she is not given to you as a result of biology.

Friends differ from husbands or boyfriends, partnerships that are layered with complexities (physical and financial). A friendship is a unique, wonderful relationship that you choose to grow, cultivate and nurture.

Friends support, love, care, listen, play and celebrate with us. This verse says it all: "Good friends are like bras: supportive, never leave you hanging, make you look good and are always close to your heart." I think that is as good a definition as any of the word friend I've come across. Oprah.com: Let's get together

In this busy, buzzing world we sometimes forget to stop and acknowledge this most valuable relationship. But it's important, and you'll be glad you did when you take a moment to tell your friend how special she is.

Leave a message on her answering machine telling her you think she is the greatest, or send her a card out of the blue saying, "Thank you for all that you are and all that you do." If you've had a disagreement, buy her a new lipstick and attach a note that reads, "Let's make up."

Helen Keller wrote with honesty and truth when she said, "My friends have made the story of my life." Think back to the moments that you cherish. Picture who was there. Nine times out of 10, your friends will have been present helping to write the story of your life too.

Host gal pal night. Invite friends to come together and share an evening dedicated to friendship. Start with a movie or television reruns of famous and iconic friendships like those of Lucy and Ethel, Rhoda and Mary Tyler Moore or the Ya-Ya Sisterhood.

One of my favorite films is "Enchanted April", a beautiful tale about friendships that flourish in a remote hillside town in Italy. Serve popcorn and drinks. Or, to set the mood, put together a musical CD of songs about friendship; Carol King's "You've Got a Friend," "I'll Stand by You" from the Pretenders or "Wind Beneath My Wings" by Bette Midler are a great start.

Above all, cherish your friend for as long as you have her.

source: OPRAH.COM