Building good friendships come with a lot of respect, trust, love, loyalty and fun. You need to have a commitment to your friends and expect them to return the favor. You should be willing to sacrifice things for your friends. For example, if your good friend is going through a divorce and they are all alone on a Saturday night, call them up and invite them to come over and hang out with your family. A good friend can become part of your family and for many people, their friends are their family.

Rarely do we think about how much work it takes to cultivate new friendships and face all the challenges that go along with building the relationships. Many of us have been forced to designate our friendships with different labels because we just don't take the time to develop deep relationships with each other. You may recognize some of these designations below:

The Close Friend. This person is normally considered to be a "best" friend, or in some circles even family, this friend may not see or talk to you every day, but you both know that you will never betray each other and that you will be there for each other in times of need and joy. You rely on each other for advice, support and guidance in life and probably know each other better than anyone else does.

The Casual Friend. This is the friend you go out to lunch with, enjoy the company of once in a while and catch up on gossip. You appreciate each other, disclose some personal information but are not considered best friends. If distance keeps you apart, you may email or call, but after a while you usually lose touch.

The Situational Friend. You may see each other regularly for specific activities such as the gym, work, club or sports activities but rarely search each other out during other times of the year. You enjoy the company and consider them friends rather than acquaintances and have been known to share personal information as it pertains to your immediate circumstances, but in the long run you probably don't stay connected to this person if the activity ends or distance separates you.

The Social networking Friend. Although some people will never understand how others can be so close to someone they have never seen in person, others realize that the changing world also means the bonds of friendships are not limited to speaking face to face, going to dinner or talking on the telephone. This new category of friendships is no less important than those made 20 years ago on the playground at school, they just require a different set of rules and an understanding of how to nurture new beginnings through an alternate form of communication.

No matter what your meaning of friendship is, we all need and appreciate the relationships we've had over our lives. Each person we come in contact with has brought something new and important to our world. You may find that friends come and go, but your heart will always know the true importance of that individual in your life.