Friendships

According to Wikipedia: Friendship is a term used to denote co-operative and supportive behavior between two or more people. In this sense, the term connotes a relationship which involves mutual knowledge, esteem, and affection and respect along with a degree of rendering service to friends in times of need or crisis. Friends will welcome each other's company and exhibit loyalty towards each other, often to the point of altruism. Their tastes will usually be similar and may converge, and they will share enjoyable activities. They will also engage in mutually helping behavior, such as exchange of advice and the sharing of hardship. A friend is someone who may often demonstrate reciprocating and reflective behaviors. Yet for many, friendship is nothing more than the trust that someone or something will not harm them.
Value that is found in friendships is often the result of a friend demonstrating the following on a consistent basis:
the tendency to desire what is best for the other,
sympathy and empathy,
honesty, perhaps in situations where it may be difficult for others to speak the truth, especially in terms of pointing out the perceived faults of one's counterpart
mutual understanding.

And according to Dictionary.com: friend  /frɛnd/

-Noun
1. a person attached to another by feelings of affection or personal regard.
2. a person who gives assistance; patron; supporter: friends of the Boston Symphony.
3. a person who is on good terms with another; a person who is not hostile: Who goes there? Friend or foe?
4. a member of the same nation, party, etc.
5. (initial capital letter) a member of the Religious Society of Friends; a Quaker.

–verb (used with object)
6. Rare. to befriend.

—Idiom
7. make friends with, to enter into friendly relations with; become a friend to.

How do you determine when you have gained a friend and when you have fallen out of a friendship?

The term "friend" is used in such a general manner these days. Mainly because acquaintance sounds a bit harsh, especially if it's a person that it in that limbo land between aquaintance and friendship.

Yes, as a close friend you are supposed to be able to be honest, especially when it is difficult. But even after you've uttered an extremely difficult statement of honesty and concern for a person and that friend turns their back further from you, what are you left to do next? Assume they are separating themselves from you? No matter the time invested or the history nurtured over the years? Sometimes I think loosing a long time friend is worse than ending a relationship with a partner. For those closest of friends know your soul.

Here's to a new year of gaining new friendships and reflecting on the possitive values of those you may have lost over this past year.