In kindergarten your idea of a
good friend was the person who let you have
the red crayon when all that was left was
the ugly black one.

In first grade your idea of a good
friend was the person who went to
the bathroom with you and held your hand
as you walked through the scary halls.

In second grade your idea of
a good friend was the person who helped
you stand up to the class bully.

In third grade your idea of
a good friend was the person who shared
their lunch with you when you forgot
yours on the bus.

In fourth grade your idea of
a good friend was the person who was
willing to switch square dancing partners in
gym so you wouldn't have to be stuck
do-si-do-ing with Nasty Nick or Smelly Susan.

In fifth grade your idea of
a friend was the person who saved a seat on
the back of the bus for you.

In sixth grade your idea of a
friend was the person who went up to Nick
or Susan, your new crush, and asked
them to dance with you, so that if they
said no you wouldn't have to be embarrassed.

In seventh grade your idea
of a friend was the person who let you copy
the social studies homework from the
night before that you had.

In eighth grade your idea of
a good friend was the person who helped
you pack up your stuffed animals and old
baseball but didn't laugh at you
when you finished and broke out into tears.

In ninth grade your idea of
a good friend was the person who would go
to a party thrown by a senior so you wouldn't
wind up being the only freshman there.

In tenth grade your idea of a good friend
was the person who changed their
schedule so you would have someone to
sit with at lunch.

In eleventh grade your idea
of a good friend was the person who
gave you rides in their new car, convinced
your parents that you shouldn't be
grounded, consoled you when you broke up with
Nick or Susan, and found you a date
to the prom.

In twelfth grade your idea
of a good friend was the person who helped
you pick out a college/university, assured
you that you would get into that
college/university, helped you deal with
your parents who were having a hard
time adjusting to the idea of letting you go...

 

At graduation your idea of a
good friend was the person who was
crying on the inside but managed the
biggest smile one could give as they
congratulated you.

The summer after twelfth
grade your idea of a good friend was the
person who helped you clean up the
bottles from that party, helped you sneak out
of the house when you just couldn't deal
with your parents, assured you that
now that you and Nick or you and Susan
were back together, you could make it
through anything, helped you pack up
for university and just silently hugged you
as you looked through blurry eyes at 18
years of memories you were leaving
behind, and finally on those last days
of childhood, went out of their way to
give you reassurance that you would
make it in college as well as you had
these past 18 years, and most importantly
sent you off to college knowing you were
loved.

Now, your idea of a good friend is still the
person who gives you the better of the two
choices, holds your hand when you're
scared, helps you fight off those who try to
take advantage of you, thinks of you at
times when you are not there, reminds you
of what you have forgotten, helps you put
the past behind you but understands when
you need to hold on to it a little longer,
stays with you so that you have confidence,
goes out of their way to make time for you,
helps you clear up your mistakes, helps you deal
with pressure from others, smiles for you
when they are sad, helps you become a
better person, and most importantly loves you!

Pass on to those friends of the past, and
those of the future...and those you have
met along the way...

Thank you for being a friend. No matter
where we go or who we become, never
forget who helped us get there.

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