True friends are rare to make these days. Even if you believe you've connected with someone, how do you really know he is a true friend? And often you will find that someone who you thought you could trust may disappoint you. There are ways you can know if a friendship is true and how you can hold onto that friend.

    A true friend is someone who will be there for you no matter what happens. Through good times and bad times, they will stand by you. They will accept you for who you are without trying to change you, and they will be there to help you grow in new ways.

    Trust is another important aspect. A true friend will keep your secrets. You can depend on them. They will listen and be someone you know you can talk things over with, even if they may not have advice to share with you.

    Friendship is a two-way street. To find true friends and keep them, you must in turn be the same as well. Be there for them in their hard times and share the good times with them. Be someone your friends can depend on and offer them the same things they give to you. A friendship will fall apart fast if only one person is giving and putting all the effort in. To keep a true friendship, you must be honest.

    There will be barriers in the road but that is the test of true friendship. If it can survive those barriers, it will be stronger and last forever. St Thomas Aquinas said, “There is nothing on this earth more prized than friendship” and it holds true.

    We have always been interested in the Moon. 2,000 years ago, people already knew it moves around the Earth and where it would be in the sky at different times of the year. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    When scientists could use telescopes to study the Moon more closely, their ideas began to change. They could see the Moon was made of rocks. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} And they believed the Moon had once been a planet. It was caught in Earth's gravity millions of years ago.

    In 1969, Moon rocks were finally brought to the Earth by astronauts. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} To their surprise, scientists found that the Moon and the Earth are made of the same things except for water. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    After years of study, some scientists think that the Moon was once part of the Earth. They believe maybe 4 million years ago, something hit the Earth. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}These rocks slowly joined together and after many years became the Moon.

    In the future, even though our ideas about the Moon may change again, we will still be interested in it.

    Ben was hoping for a video game for his birthday. There was also a board game he wanted. Finally, he wanted some comics.

    He got the board game and some comics, but what was in the last package? It was from his sister, Karen. He slowly unwrapped the package. It didn't feel like a video game.

    It was a purple sweater. Purple was his least favourite colour. He smiled and thanked Karen nicely, but he didn't want 'to wear that sweater. He couldn't wear purple!

    He quickly put the sweater away in his room. Then he ran off to play his new board game with his family.

    One day a few weeks later, Ben's mother asked him about the sweater. "Why don't you wear your purple sweater today?" she asked him. "Your sister made it just for you!"

    "I'm not cold," Ben said without thinking. That day he was cold all day.

    Then one day they were going out to dinner as a family. His mother asked him to wear the sweater again. "I don't want to wear it because I hate it," he quickly replied.

    "Ben," said his mother," I know it's not the nicest sweater in the world, but think about how important Karen is to you. You know she will be proud if you wear it just this once."

    Ben walked slowly to his room. He knew she was right. He wore the sweater to dinner.

    His sister smiled all night.