When a friendship fails, we have to ask, "Why do friendships break in the first place?" What was once so real and true becomes a distant memory that leaves you feeling abandoned, as if that friend was someone you never knew. It's one thing when two human beings have tried to be friends, but can't make the connection. Then again, there are some friends who simply choose to fade away with no explanation. I've been at both ends, and as a friend, I've had to deal with both sides of this issue. Because this is true, I'll share what I've learned with you.

WHAT BREAKS A FRIENDSHIP:

1. Distance and time can place friendship in the back of our minds.

In eighth grade, I made a friend for life. Robin was one of those soul mate friends who seemed to be heaven sent. She and I believed that we were supposed to share DNA, but the fact that we had no family ties was just a mistake. Our friendship survived distance for a time when her family moved to another town. We'd travel back and forth to keep our friendship alive. She was a bridesmaid in my wedding and I was in her wedding too. We had every intention of raising our children as if they were cousins, but too much time and distance became an issue that we couldn't change. The fact that our husbands were as different as night and day became another fact that couldn't be rearranged.

The distance wasn't an intentional thing that either of us chose to do, but time and distance changed our lives, and then it changed our ties. Now and then, we'd find each other again and try to find those two eighth grade girls inside, but when too much time and distance comes between friends, even the ties that bind soul mates can break from the strain.

To deal with this broken friendship, I've learned that it's best to feel blessed. We did nothing wrong. Our friendship was real and strong. There are simply some ties that can't survive distance and time, but I deal with the loss by cherishing the memory of what our friendship gave to me at a time when I needed that friend. That's why today, I can honestly say that Robin will always be loved by me, even from a distance. Because of her, I've also learned that to keep lifelong friends, I must keep in touch with them. Experience taught me to be a better friend.

2. A lost common factor can delete a need that the friendship seemed to ease.

Most of the time, we tend to make friends when we find something in common. It could

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