In first grade your idea of a good friend was the person who went to the bathroom with you and held your hand in the scary hall.

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

In third grade your idea of a friend was the person who shared their lunch with you.

In fourth grade your idea of a friend was the person who was willing to switch dancing partners 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 be embarrassed.

In seventh grade your idea of a friend was the person who let you copy the Math homework.

In eighth grade your idea of a friend was the person who helped you pack your stuffed animals but didn’t laugh at you when you broke out into tears.

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

In tenth grade your idea of a 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 friend was the person who gave you rides on their bike, convinced your parents you shouldn’t be grounded, consoled you when you broke up with Nick /Susan.

In twelfth grade your idea of a friend was the person who helped you pick out a college, assured you that you would get into it, 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 friend was the person who was crying on the inside but managed the biggest smile one could give as they congratulated you. After graduation it was someone 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, helped you pack up for college and just silently hugged you as you looked through blurry eyes at 18 years of memories, and 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 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! — Author unknown