This I Believe

What Are Friends For?

The first person I ever lost was my friend Jesse. Jesse and I went to middle school together and in eighth grade his girlfriend was one of my very best friends. We hung out a lot because of this. It was the summer before ninth grade and our high school careers were about to start. It was a bright, sunny, August day when I got a phone call from a friend, he was telling me that Jesse had hung himself earlier that day.

I could not speak. The words would just not come out of my mouth. Even if they had been able to come out, I would not have known what to say. How could this possibly be true? It was not even a week ago that we were hanging out at the mall together. It never even crossed my mind that anything was wrong. All I wanted to do was be alone, and cry. I didn’t want to talk to my parents, although they tried. I had no interest in doing anything or speaking to anyone. So all I did was sit, alone, and cry. It was all I could bring myself to do, as pathetic as that sounds.

I showed up by myself, in what I hoped was an appropriate outfit. It was when I arrived to the funeral that his death really sunk in. It hit hard, like a knife through my heart. As sad as the event was, being there, among friends, made it more bearable.

Although I wish it had not taken something like this to make me realize, I discovered just how valuable a true friendship is. I was there, and there I found others to confide in. They knew how I felt and we went through it together, we were there for each

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other through a rough time. I feel that true friendship is not something that is hard to find. A friend is there for you when you need them, just as I needed those that were there at this time for me. While having to endure these hard times in my life, I have discovered that it is good to mourn the loss, but more important to celebrate life. A true friend is there, to make you smile when you’re down and comfort you in a time of need. They are the ones you aren’t afraid to let your guard down in front of, which is exactly what I did at this time in my life. Once I did that, I was able to let all my feelings out and really begin the healing process. It is because of this that I believe friends are a necessity for life.

A friend can be one of the greatest, if not the greatest thing you will ever have in your life. I will always remember my friends and treasure every moment we have spent together. I have a better appreciation for friendships now, because friends are the ones that you can always count on.