Five years seems like a while when you think about each day, week, month, and year which makes up that length of time. For starters, a lot can happen in five years... people grow and change, celebrate good times, or overcome hard ones. Five years can shape your life in unimaginable ways, but it's insane how quickly five whole years can fly right by when you're not paying attention.

As you read this, you may be asking yourself, "why has she chosen to focus on five years?" and there's a very important reason. Five years ago, I graduated middle school, began as an instructor for my sailing job, and prepared to go to high school. And while all of those experiences were very exciting, I'm really writing this because five years ago, my best friend died.

His name was Marc, and he meant the world to everyone who knew him, including me. Marc had a personality and a way about living life that I have yet to find in another person.

As close as we were when he was alive, I still find it difficult to remember the sound of his voice or his face, but there are times when I get a glimpse of a memory. And that is what Marc is to me now, a glimpse, a flash, a moment in time. The strangest part is that he's still just a little 8th grader in my mind even though I've grown so much over the years.

Marc would've liked high school, he would've loved it actually. That love for life and the optimism he had was what made him so special, and once he left us, finding reasons to be happy was a challenge. I'll give you an example... Think of Marc as the sun, shining bright, giving off light to everyone around him. Always there, always constantly keeping us warm. When Marc died it was like the sun set one day and didn't rise again for a long time. Those who knew him had to learn how to make their own light... something we may have taken for granted when he was with us.

Growing up, I'd never really dealt with death. I'd never really crossed paths with it, so you can imagine how strange it was to lose a friend so suddenly at such a young age. The community of friends I grew up with was impacted by something we hadn't experienced before, and while we miss him, it formed a lasting bond between us. Although his death left a hole, we've done our best to fill it over the past five years with the memories we share of him.

It's been five years since I lost my best friend, and I miss him like hell. Marc will forever be in my heart, and will be my guardian angel as long as I live.

Keep Calm and Smile On, Marc, my angel, I hope you had the happiest of birthdays.