You know friends are never earned   They are a gift from the loving God   They're precious beyond human evaluation   You dare not take them for granted   Or they'll drift away like smoke   And the warmth of there caring   Will vanish into the chill of the endless night.      Most of my friends are unknowns   They probably won't even rate an obituary   Unless they live and die in a small town   Some where, where nothing much ever happens   But some of my friends are big people   They are famous, sensitive and talented   Their names are household words   And yet they are no more precious   In God's eyes or in mine.      Then those wonderful nobodies   Who live and die in obscurity   Who is your friend?    He's someone who warns you with a nod    Or with an unspoken word in hard times   When you are hurting beyond words   She's someone who holds you to her breast   And sighs softly into your hair.      When no other medicine   Could possibly stop the pain    A friend is someone who clinks   A glass against yours   Or answers the phone   At three in the morning when you're lost   And with a few words of encouragement   And concern makes you realize   Your not really lost at all.      Friends come in both sexes   In all shapes and sizes   The most important thing   They have in common is    Their ability to share with you   Your most sky splitting joys   Or your' deepest most awesome sorrows.      I think of all the things I have in this world   I'm most grateful for my friends...