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 Nicky 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 Nicky 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 Glenn or Susan, and found you a date to the prom.
At GSP your idea of a good friend was the person who e-mailed, called or wrote from Northern telling you how much fun you were going to have when you got to Centre next week, jabbed you with their elbow when they saw that you fell asleep during convocation, laughed at your jokes (except for the ones about dead babies), told you what all you could wash with your whites, helped you track down your roommate so you wouldn't have to get the head RA's to let you in your room, tossed you their wing key because you looked so pathetic standing outside the door to the wing holding your laundry basket because you were never given a wing key, got up and sang karaoke with you so you wouldn't feel that stupid, chipped in with you when you just had a monster craving for pizza, joined in an extremely loud rendition of "Ninety-Nine Bottles of Beer on the Wall" when you were sitting in Kentucky Hall on Sunday afternoon, got up at eight o'clock in the morning to meet you for breakfast, continued to Waltz with you even though you kept stepping on their toes, didn't hold a grudge when you annihilated them while playing Risk, went with you to Thriftway when it was 100+ degrees because no one else wanted to go, sent you a letter because you weren't getting any mail from home, made you an ice cream cone because yours always fell off, gave you some quarters to do your laundry, tried to keep you up all night at the lock-in, kept watch when you pushed the handicapped button to open the door even after the final banquet, held your hand before you took the stage for the performance of your life at showcase, chipped in with the rest of their hall to buy you flowers even if they had no clue who you were, cried with you when you got dumped, jumped up and down with you when that guy or girl said yes, went along with your "we're just friends" story when Nick or Susan came up on Family Day and saw you with your GSP partner, dedicated their song at showcase to you, went to see Midnight Cowboy with you because no one else would, didn't get mad when you repeatedly beat them at pool, didn't smack you in Seminar when they told you in a buttered up, flowery way that you were a moron, kept your secret when you told them and no one else that you were going for a walk with..., didn't poke fun at you when you put on clothes belonging to members of the opposite sex, gave you a tissue when you were found crying even if you didn't want any, watched the sun rise with you (yeah y'all that slept through it were with us too), sang to you when you cried, gave you the doubles of the pictures they made because you forgot your camera, promised to always love you like family when they gave you that hug right before you walked out the door, e-mailed, called, or wrote you at Centre telling you to cherish every GSP minute you had left, who didn't get offended when you repeatedly sent them masse-mails while trying to stay in touch...
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 and most importantly loves you]
Thank you for being a friend. No matter where we go or who we become, never forget who helped us get there.
There's never a wrong time to pick up a phone or send a message telling your friends how much you miss them or how much you love them.
You know who you are, pass it on to someone who you want to remind.
If you love someone, tell them. Remember always to say what you mean.
Never be afraid to express yourself. Take this opportunity to tell someone what they mean to you. Seize the day and have no regrets.
Most importantly, stay close to your friends and family for they have helped make you the person that you are today and are what it's all about anyway. Pass this along to your friends. Let it make a difference in your day and theirs.
The difference between expressing love and having regrets is that the regrets may stay around forever.
