What a wonderful thing it is that, for almost all of us, there are people in this world who can inspire our nobler imaginings, open our eyes to hitherto undreamt-of possibilities, correct or ameliorate many of the shortcomings of our less-than-stellar families, steady us at the lowest ebb of our spirits and our courage, and help us blossom into the people we wish we always were -- in short, what a wondrous thing it is that we have friends.