She was actually harder to describe than I thought it would be. To get started, I checked the dictionary that stated a friend is "a person who knows and likes another, a person who favors and supports and a person who belongs to the same side or group."
By these definitions I have hundreds, maybe thousands, of friends, but I truly believe it goes beyond these definitions. A friend must do much more than like you. To me, a friend is someone who knows all about you and likes you anyway. Being a friend means more than recognizing that no one is perfect, it means accepting it.
I have lots of friends but there’s only one whom I consider possessing the above qualities. She is of the same age as I am. She was my former classmate in elementary. We were not that close yet. I knew her but not that intimate.
When I studied in high school Seminary, we did not have the chance to talk. We saw each other in streets, church and in their school but we did not have any break to chat. But everything changed during our last year in high school. Before graduating, I had the opportunity to get her number. We shared what happened in the past three years and eventually as time passed by, we became best friends.
She was one of the reasons why I continued my vocation. I was attracted to her persistence of answering God’s call. She made me realize how deep my relation to God is. She was firm in her decision of entering the convent and I was stimulated by it. She taught me to pause for a while and reflect on my situation.
In our college life, we remained intact with each other but when we were in our second year, we totally lost our communication. She left to study in other place leaving no notice of any kind. I was dismayed of what happened but still hopeful to find a way to talk to her.
Nearing the summer break, I got her number from one of our friends. The first time we talked after a year, she explained to me that she tried to tell me she was going to Caloocan City. She even tried to get my new number but failed to do so. We shared lot of things that we left untouched during the year of misery.
She is my best friend, a special person in my life. We may not have the possibility to go out yet but I know that she is my friend for a friend is someone you trust to be with him or her when you are at your weakest and most vulnerable. You always get your strength from a friend. Friends are people who, no matter how painful it is to see, are willing to be with you when you are so helpless and weak. If you would trust your life to her, and vice versa, you are friends. It is not about whether she is trustworthy, or whether she is friendly. It is the actual act of trust that is the basis of friendship.
I miss my best friend now. I realized how grateful I am to have her as my best friend. She would always be my best friend until the end. She is my inspiration, my guide. If God will give me the kismet to choose among my memories to remain with me forever with no doubt it is the memory of her being my best friend.
The more than three years that she spent her life with me as best friends were indeed memorable. I know that when it will be the time for her to decide to embark on a new journey of her life, I will feel a pinch in my heart. I have a special friend now but her memory will forever linger in mind. She is and will always be—one of the great treasures in my life.
Perhaps, God created special friends like Sherlyn to remind us that no man is an island. She is a reminder that we need one another, not necessarily as lovers, but in a very special way where we could become better persons, explore our potentials, overcome our fears, and reach for our goals in life.
