“Misfortune in your life draws the line between those who care and those who just pretend to, and you will not need anyone to tell you which side they are on.”

Good times allow many people to stand nearby without showing what their care can bear. Words and appearances are enough while nothing difficult is being asked of them. Misfortune changes the test. Help may cost time, comfort, money, or the courage to remain close to someone in pain. Some people cross that difficulty. Others step away, and the difference becomes visible without explanation.

The discovery can hurt alongside the original loss. It may show that a relationship was smaller than it seemed. Yet the same line also reveals those whose care is real. Hardship does not create their loyalty; it brings into view what was already there.