"I miss you." I hate hearing these words but I have a feeling after this I'll be hearing them a lot. This week I went to three parties. One was my own birthday party, the other two being farewell parties. I said my last and final goodbye to two special people in my life this week.
"The most beautiful discovery that true friends can make is that they can grow separately without growing apart." - Elizabeth Foley.
These were my friend of two years who I met upon starting high school and my Taekwondo instructor of four or five years. It would be hard to deny anything or hold back any feelings: I love and am going to miss them so much. These two people mean so much to me. They both provided me support and helped me develop who I am.
"Even your best friend was a stranger once." - Unknown
I still remember first meeting them. I think to myself, what did they mean to me then? My answer was plain and simple: Nothing. When I first met them they were merely strangers, people who were beginning to enter into my life but had not yet made any lasting impression.
"A new friendship is like an unripened fruit - it may become either an orange or a lemon." - Emma Stacey
Now when I think about what they mean to me they mean a lot. My friend was almost like a diary. He was perfect for venting feelings, always listened to me and understood what I said. He saw me cry and was the first person who patted my shoulder and told me I was a good person. I tried my best to return the favor to him. We had so many fun times together and shared a lot of similar interests. We could both be silly and act like ourselves around each other without having to worry about criticizing eyes.
"If you judge people, you have no time to love them." - Mother Teresa.
My instructor was another support system for me. He wasn't your usual instructor who just gives you directions of what to do and how to do it. He gave his heart and soul into what he did for us. He was not just a teacher or director who tells you what to do but a friend. He was always on talking terms and never demanded respect he hadn't earned or made us feel lesser just because we were the students acquiring the skills from him. He was open to our suggestions of what we wanted to do in training and guided us in our different ways of learning.
"Treat people as if they were what they ought to be and you help them to become what they are capable of being." - Goethe
Both of these people I will never forget. Then I realize there was a point in time when I didn't know them and felt shy around them. There was a time when everyone I've ever met didn't mean anything to me at all. Now they do.
"To the world you may be just one small person, but to one person you may be the world." - Unknown.
You meet so many people in your lifetime. The memories of some will fade into the dark corners of your mind within time. The light of some will forever shine inside you, memories etched in your heart. All these people were strangers once.
"Strangers are just friends waiting to happen." - Steve Klaka.
People will come and go throughout your lifetime. People need to move on. It may seem like the more attached you become to them the harder it will be to say goodbye. However this is not true. As long as your heart is still beating for the people who've left, still bound in an eternal bond of love they will still always be there with you.
"The best way to keep your friends is to not give them away." - Wilson Mizner.
Author's Note: "I will always love you." - Whitney Houston
