by Jennifer Hall

Created on: September 07, 2010

  I lost a really good friend of mine in 1992. I was thirteen years old, at the time. I never thought that I would recover from that. He was the first friend that I had ever lost. And, it was the first death I ever had to face.

  He was so young. Seventeen, was just to young for him to die. I think that was why it was so hard for me to deal with. I saw him about three hours before he had his wreck. He was happy and smiling. We talked for about twenty minutes. I got ready to leave the store he worked at, and he came around the counter to give me a hug. He told me he would see me the next day. But, that was not the case.

  I had been home about three hours, when I received the phone call telling me, that he had been in an accident. He was dead. It felt like the breath had been knocked out of me. I mean how could this happen? I remember crying to my mother that it was a lie. I told her I had just seen and talked to him, and he was fine.

 I am thirty-two now,and I have lost a lot of friends to death. People always tell me, " It will get better" or " You'll forget in time."

   Now, lets talk about these two phrases for a minute.

  First of all, it does get better. It takes some time though. You have to let yourself mourn your loss. You have to do it in your own way. Then one day you'll be thinking of that person and instead of being sad and shedding tears, you will find yourself smiling at their memory.

  Now the second phrase I absolutely hate. You'll forget in time. That is the craziest thing that I ever had someone say to me. Why would I want to forget my best friend? I'll never forget any of them. You have to hold all of those memories, locked in your heart forever. Memories are all we have left. So hold on to them, and never let them go.

  Sometimes the memory may make you cry, and then some will make you smile of laugh out loud. Thats what you have to hold on to, all of the memories. In a way you still have your loved one right there with you.

  It is never easy to lose someone you love. It takes time to go through the grieving process. And trust me, you never forget them.

  I hope this helps some people, who might have lost a friend to soon. I think of mine every day.

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