One of the main reasons that the TV sitcom Friends garnered such a cult following, is because most of us dream of having friends like that. Luckily, many of us do, like these Redditors who shared sweet stories about the amazing friends they have. Their buddies may have done something as big as moving mountains for them, or as small as simply lending a shoulder to cry on. Either way, these tales of true friendship are inspirational and joyous enough to brighten our day.

• I had just gotten divorced and was trying to get back into dating. I wanted some beach pictures to share, and my friend is good with photographs. So, I ask her to take a beach trip with me, to take some pictures. I’m ready, but nervous, and she gets this gleam in her eye.
  Then she pulls out a shark costume. Now we have these ridiculous pictures of me chasing her in a shark costume. Shark on a playground. Sad shark. Best beach pictures, she was totally right. ScrambledNegs / Reddit
• Super long, messy break-up of a 9-year relationship. I moped for the next couple of weeks, and just didn’t want to deal with feelings or anything. A friend I was no longer that close to showed up at my door. I just said, “Nope.” He looked at me, said, “I’m not staying, but here.”
  He handed me a grocery bag with a roasted chicken, a carton of OJ, and a box of popsicles, and then left. It was the first real food I’d eaten in a while, and it helped me turn the corner on the sadness. montrealcowboyx / Reddit
• While running on about 3 hours sleep, the very day after my wife and I split up, my bandmates took time out of their schedules to actually hang out with me that day and let me vent/cry/break down. I’m normally “the strong friend” who is the shoulder to cry on and all that, so to have these 2 dudes be there to hold me up, the same guys who were my ushers for my wedding, really meant a lot to me. PatchworkBoy87 / Reddit
• At a party in college, I was hitting on a guy who turned out to have a girlfriend. She noticed me trying to get his attention and came over to talk to me. I expected to be yelled at, but instead she brought me a drink and we played cards. Her reasoning? “If we both like the same guy, we must have other things in common as well.”
  TLDR: she’s my best friend, and the guy was a loser anyway. Unknown author / Reddit

• When my father passed away, my closest friends held a small and personal gathering for me. There, I received a painting one of my best friends did. It was a painting of a picture I had of my family at a dinner table over Christmas many years ago, it’s such a happy moment. It made me cry, but it was the most beautiful and thoughtful gift I’ve ever received. Unknown author / Reddit
• My mom passed due to cancer complications during winter break while I was in college. I went back to school that next week when classes resumed. One night I was so overwhelmed I couldn’t even tell the people I was with I was about to crack. Too choked up to speak, I went silently to my dorm and began to sob.
  From the fetal position on my floor, I called a friend and said simply, “I can’t do this.” He was at my door in 15, we packed an overnight bag, and he brought me to his place. His mom made me a meal at 11 pm, and I slept in the next morning while he went to class.
  After class and before work, he stopped back at his place, picked me up and dropped me off at home. He wasn’t​ able to spend a lot of time with me, but he made sure every second he could spare counted. “If you need me again, call me.”
  Thank you, Cole. ***kingston / Reddit
• When my father died, I had my closest friends with me all the time. They were really supportive and even though we were only teenagers, they took it in a very deep and considerate manner, cheering me up. They also let me vent and would listen because being sad is part of the process too. dark_bug / Reddit
• When I was like 15 my cat died, and I loved that cat so much. It took a toll on me and I would walk around with a good on and didn’t talk to anyone. Then all my friends gave me a card and it was signed by everyone. It basically said we love you and we’re sorry. robbers12345 / Reddit

• Me and my best friend were getting married within weeks of each other. I was planning my best friend’s bachelorette party and sneaked into her phone to find some contacts. There, I found an album labeled ’Bridesmaid Dress Ideas.’ What I found were images and screenshots of messages between her and my fiancé that made my stomach drop.
  As I scrolled, a cold realization crept over me. These files were evidence of an incredible surprise they were planning together. As I scrolled through the screenshots, I realized the messages and images weren’t about her wedding dress at all. They were texts and plans between my best friend and my fiancé, filled with details about something that took my breath away—a surprise honeymoon ticket for us to Paris, my dream destination.
  In message after message, I saw the two of them coordinating flights, accommodations, and even booking a private dinner overlooking the Eiffel Tower. My heart swelled with gratitude and disbelief. I’d been so focused on planning her bachelorette party, worried about doing enough for her, but here she was, secretly orchestrating the trip of a lifetime for me.
• Friends surprised me with a going away party before going overseas. Thought I was going to just hang out with a few buddies, but they got the whole group. It was also more poignant because my grandmother had passed away a few days before.
  Best group of people I know. That’s why we have been friends almost our whole lives. Darth_Slartibartfast / Reddit

• It’s nothing huge, but it’s something that meant so much to me at the time. Back in sixth grade, I had a classmate that would tease me. I never figured out why, I guess I was just an easy target or something. One day, our teacher let us have free time. This kid came up to me and whispered something that was upsetting to me (I can’t even remember what it was).
  I abruptly walked away from him, and two of my good friends looked at me at that moment.
  They asked me what was wrong, and I told them nothing. They persisted, and I told them the kid said something that upset me. So, they immediately told my teacher, he called the hooligan out into the hallway and then sent him to the principal.
  The kid didn’t learn his lesson, as he continued to tease me into seventh grade, but I still think about what my two friends did that day. They didn’t have to do that, but they stood up for me, and that meant a lot to a 12-year-old shy kid like me. PAKman1988 / Reddit
• I was living abroad, and my girl was in a neighboring city. I forgot that she was coming over for the weekend, and she called me 10 minutes before she arrived. As I went to pick her up, a couple of my friends prepared a cute meal, cleaned my room, lit some candles, put some music and supplied the room with everything it needed for a romantic date. Abidal / Reddit
• I gave a potted plant to a friend as a birthday gift 10 years ago in school. He still has it. VPGLD / Reddit
• My best friend and I regularly call each other when we’re upset, be it death in the family, nonsense with the ex, nonsense with the dating scene, or just bad days at work. It doesn’t matter what the other is doing, we take each other’s calls or go hang out and listen to each other vent for a few hours. We’ve been friends for 25 years now, and it’s always worked like this. Somgr81 / Reddit

• I was a passenger in a motorcycle accident. I was a mess both physically and emotionally, and my clothes were destroyed. I had nothing to wear when I was discharged from the hospital. I had only recently moved to the area, and the only person I sort-of knew lived an hour in the opposite direction.
  I called her anyway, and a bit later she showed up with clothes for me, including new underwear, and stayed by my side until I was discharged. She also had the forethought to take pictures of my injuries at the hospital, and those photos really helped when I had medical bills to pay and the insurance company for the person responsible were incredibly difficult to deal with. I got a lawyer who took those pics, and filed a lawsuit, and got my medical bills all paid.
  I have no idea how I would have managed things without her there for me, the clothes she brought me, the pictures she took, and the huge amount of emotion support she has given me. She’s the best, I love her dearly. CaraMiaFire / Reddit
• A few years ago, my town got hit with a flash flood. I lived, at the time, in a basement apartment, and it was at the base of a hill. I had maybe 5 minutes from the water getting under my door to grab what I could carry and get out, to high ground. Still, I got my laptop and my roommate’s laptops, a few other things, but not much—my roommates weren’t home. Spent the night on my university’s conference center floor.
  The next day, I was miserable. I had a math exam, didn’t own shoes anymore because the floodwater had destroyed my only pair, and I’d lost just about everything. I didn’t know where I’d live for the last week of the semester, so I texted my Dungeons and Dragons group, which I’d only joined two months prior, to say I had to miss the game.
  They showed up with a truck, the whole group, and the DM started giving orders. They decided who was going to salvage from my room, and who was going to find me a new place to live. Two of them took me to the store and refused to let me pay for my new clothes and toiletries, and bought me dinner, even.
  They’re the best friends anyone could ask for. Hedgiwithapen / Reddit
• I unexpectedly had heart surgery on a Friday, that night two of my friends showed up at the hospital, my wife sent them texts during the procedure as an FYI in case the outcome was less than favorable. What floored me was that those two were there, but my family wasn’t, really showed me who would be there for me during a moment like that. i_heart_pasta / Reddit

Some heart-touching stories indeed about pals who really came through for each other. Of course, not every person you think is a friend, is actually that, as these people found out the hard way.