/ / j g p a l a n c a . c o m
		A Good Friend... In kindergarten, a good friend was the one who let you have the red crayon, when all that was left was the ugly brown one. In first grade 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 a good friend was the person who helped you stand up to the class bully. In third grade a good friend was the person who shared their lunch with you when you left yours on the bus. In fourth grade a good friend was the person who was willing to switch square dancing partners in gym so you wouldn't have to "do-si-do" with that stinky kid who liked you. In fifth grade a good friend was the person who saved a seat for you at the back of the bus. In sixth grade a good friend was the person who went up to your new crush and asked them to dance with you, so that if they said "no" you wouldn't feel so embarrassed. In seventh grade a good friend was the person who let you copy the social studies homework from the night before that you had forgotten about. In eighth grade a good friend was the person who helped you pack up your stuffed animals and baseball cards so that your room would be a "high schooler's room" and didn't laugh at you when you finished and burst into tears. In ninth grade a good friend was the person who went with you to that "cool" party being thrown by a senior so you wouldn't be the only freshman there. In tenth grade a good friend was the person who changed his schedule just so you would have someone to sit next to at lunch. In eleventh grade a good friend was the person who gave you rides in their new car, convinced your parents you shouldn't be grounded, consoled you when you broke up with your steady, and found you a date to the prom. In twelfth grade a good friend was the person who helped you pick out a college, assured you that you would get into that college, helped you deal with your parents who were having a hard time adjusting to the idea of letting you go. At graduation a good friend was the person who was crying on the inside but managed the biggest smile one could give as they congratulated you. After you graduated, 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 couldn't deal with your parents, assured you about your relationship with your steady, told you that you could make it through anything, helped you pack up for college and silently hugged you as you looked through blurry eyes at 18 years of memories you were leaving behind, and finally on those last few days of childhood, went out of their way to come over and send you off with a hug, a lot of memories, reassurance that you would make it in college as well as you had these past 18 years, and most of all, most importantly to send you off to college knowing you were loved. Now, a good friend is the person who gives you the best of two choices, goes out of their way to make time for you, helps you clear up your mistakes, helps you deal with the pressures from others, holds your hand when you're scared, helps you fight off those who 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 onto it a little longer, stays with you so that you have confidence, smiles for you when they are sad, helps you become a better person, and most of all, loves you! Thank you for being my friend! No matter where we go or who we become, may we never forget those who helped us get there.
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