"A true friend is someone who believes in you, when you've stopped believing in yourself..."

The older I got, the more I've come to realize the significance of friendship.

Once upon a time, when we were all teenagers, when running felt like flying, when life was simple, adventurous and carefree...

We had friends, so many friends... some came and gone, some stuck around... but only a couple touched our hearts... we laughed, we cried, we made jokes that no one else got..

School is out, time to step up to the plate... Life no longer was about just having fun... Responsibilities, piled up; expectations, rose and rose, our once innocent and carefree minds became burdened with pressure and future uncertainties.

Where did we get that extra push, the hand that lifted us up when we're down? Who gave us a smile when we're sad, a hug when we're lonely? Who was truly there for us when the whole world seems to have turned its back on us?

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine as children do. It's not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own lights shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

I won't be who I am today without my friends... it is those that truly cared, whom have shown me the light when all I can find is darkness...

And I will be forever grateful... I wish you the best, no matter where you are and who you're with. Be the best that you can be and conquer the obstacles in all of your present and future endeavors...