Dear Friend,

It's been quite a few years now since I last heard you laugh, and too many days to count since the last time I ran to your house to hang out. I remember the exact moment I found out you were gone and I remember when my heart stopped at the thought of you not being around. After awhile it gets hard to remember certain things. I used to hear your voice before I went to sleep, but now I can hardly remember the jokes you used to say. It doesn't get much easier as time goes on, but I have had more time to reflect on our friendship and I know, even more so today than ever before, exactly how knowing you changed my life.

You taught me that there is always a reason to smile.

You never really stopped smiling. I know that you did not really think all of my jokes were funny, but you would never have told me that because you believed that everyone deserved to feel special. I smile now when I think about growing up with you because everyday we spent together is one more day I have to smile about.

You taught me that the life in your years is what truly counts.

You may not have had 60 years but you packed a lifetime into every day. You truly saw every day for what it was, another chance to make a difference. You impacted more people in your years than most people do in their life.

You taught me to rewind the good parts because laughing only once is not good enough.

It was never enough to only see the funny part once because you knew that laughing for 10 minutes was much better than laughing for a few seconds. I admired your enthusiasm for life and your need to laugh as much as possible. I think I laugh a little more now because I knew you.

You looked up to me, even if I didn't deserve your admiration.

You let me be like a big sister to you, which is something I am forever grateful for. You had faith in the fact that I was older even if it did not mean I was wiser. You gave me confidence because you were confident in me. The funny thing is, you were and still are someone I look up to and I never thought it was the other way around.

You taught me to value life for more than just the trivial things.

I see the world in an entirely different way because I was your friend. I know that every opportunity is one that may never come again and I am a better person for knowing you. You may not have known it but you taught me to live for every moment, something that has made my world much bigger and much better.