I think Bethany, the author of the The Word is Love had a very interesting year with many ups and downs. She found out who her true friends are when she experienced downfalls, such as her illness. Those who stayed by her side are the people who truly loved her. This is meaningful to me because something similar happened to me. It wasn't necessarily a downfall that helped me realize who was really there for me. However, retreat helped realized who are my real friends. I cannot explain how it taught me this but I can go into detail on what it taught me. Retreat showed me who is there for me. It is not the friends I have on Facebook, it is not the friends who do not talk to me anymore or ask me how I am doing. It is the people who are close to me, who I can call up now just to say "Hello" for no reason. So that is why friends is my word of the year.