A friend who understands your tears is much more valuable than a lot of friends who only know your smile, this means it only takes a true friend to see through your smile and understand the pain dwelling underneath it. True friendship bares the burden of pain and until that side is felt, you might be far away from a genuine friendship. 

Having a person who comforts you and encourages you during bad times is way more important then many friends who congratulate the smile you wear when you're being celebrated. That's because they have no idea what you could have suffered and the amount of pain you have endured to maintain that smile on your face. Sometimes what you hide might be something you're ashamed of and unfortunately, when people see that side they tend to run away. 

A truly big joy in life is having down to earth friends. Strong connections like these provide comfort during difficut times and laugh out looud joy at other times. Your friendship continues where it left off, even if you have been away for the past year or several months.