What is a TRUE friend, really?

 Tuesday, March 1st 2011 12:12am

NOTE; I haven't written on here in 5 months. (I lost the password for awhile, LOL.)

All my life, I have been hurt emotionally by people who were supposedly my friends. This makes me wonder, what is a TRUE friend, really? It has also made me withdraw from social situations, not trust very easily, and maybe caused a bit of social anxiety even.  I have been diagnosed with Manic Depression/Bi-Polar Disorder, PTSD, (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and OCD. (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) BUT, I have refused any medication for it, because I have fears/phobia's about addictions. (Sound's stupid, I know!) Instead, I take St. John's Wort, everyday. Before I took that, I just dealt best I could and still do! Have I ever attempted suicide? YES. (obviously I didn't succeed!) I suffer from depression all the time. My high's and low's have not been easy on my Family and Friends to say the least.  When I was 16, I tried to take my own life because I was having flashbacks of sexual abuse that I suffered for many yrs from infancy until the age of 6. (Little did I know I would be subject to it again later on, as an adult.)
Which leads me to another thought...How would YOU define true friendship? 
My definition:Being a true friend is to LOVE a person so much that you let them go when needed, and wish them happiness no matter if it costs you pain, You accept them for who they are no matter what, You tell them the TRUTH in a loving way on all things, You try to help them anyway you can even if it will upset them in some way, intervene for their greater good when they are in trouble, support them in all their endeavors, lift them up when they are feeling down, inspire them when they are excited about something that means a great deal to them, keep them from harm if possible, care enough to protect them, make time for them/don't forget about them, show them patience, understanding, compassion, affection when they need it, and ONE of the most important of all is...FORGIVENESS! Don't forget to forgive them when all hell is breaking loose between you!
So, what do you all think of my interpretation? Am I head on...or am I totally off base? 
 Here is something I found online while looking this subject up:
What if the friends don’t ask for our input but are doing something that’s harmful for them? In my case, I will still warn them (even rebuke, if necessary). It’s not because I judge them, but because I care about them. The closer I am to them, the more willing I am to warn them. -Donald Latumahina
(I recently applied this "warn/rebuke/" thing to a "true" friend, and let me tell you...IT DIDN'T work out too well.)
-Me