She gives me the strength to deal with adversity. She returns to the valley of fire to pull me through, she has been there before, she knows how much it burns. As we exit, we look at each other. Me; beaten, battered and burned. Her; with amazing fortitude, unscathed, resilient. We continue to walk away and I begin to heal.
He is my base, my father figure. He is truly remarkable. Learning on his own how to be a father; his father being unfairly taken from him at the age of nine. He’s always been there to bandage my cuts and stop my tears. He has become a pro by the second generation. He is quiet and keeps to himself. But his smile is magical and his laughter, infectious.
She is my spine. She instilled drive for my success. She gives me confidence to surpass my opponents, but she keeps me grounded. She reminds me of my roots and my reasons; the hurdles I have leaped over and the ones I have yet to face. She believes in me when I don’t believe in myself. When I feel like collapsing, she keeps my back straight, head up, shoulders back, and whispers to me to “keep going”.
He is my first true love. He is my ray of sunshine. With him, I feel a maternal spirit. He is not mine, but for him I would give my life, my goals, my dreams; instantaneously. He will have every goal and every dream he aspires to have. He will have heartache and disappointment, but he will be safe and secure.
She is my liberation. The first time I have been able to let down my walls since birth. She understands me. She gives me relief. Hesitation doesn’t exist. We are one in the same. She is my wingman and I am hers. We are confident in our journey as long as we have each other.
He is my loyal warrior. He gave me his heart and I gave him mine. We protect each other against others; but also harm each other in the process. We have been through rings of fire, making our bond unbounded and unbreakable.
She gives me courage to speak my mind. Undauntedly real. Our friendship is unusual and questioned. It shows its true colors when need be. She has seen me grow and she’s watching me leave. She is unaffected by the sight, but she smiles and it ensures me that she cares and knows everything will be okay; I’ll be just fine.
He is, unknowingly, my discipline, drive, determination. He has set the standard. He doesn’t expect me to reach or surpass his standard, unless I want to. He is supportive in every way. He asks for nothing more than my happiness. I am confident that he will be by my side for every decision I make, and he will not question it; my smile is always worth more.
She gives me the most unique gift; the beauty of an awkward relationship. Shyness and quietness embraces us when we are together. That is our way of communication. It is unquestioned, I love her. Our relationship will blossom more with time. Doors will unlock, stories will surface; the beauty and strength of our relationship will be undoubtedly the most prominent.
They are the reason for my heart break. Never feeling fully accepted, they were the reason for my childhood anger. Our relationship needs work; it is in continuous reconstruction. We finally laugh more and argue less. We are trying to build an impenetrable strength; nothing has yet to slow us down.
He provides me with the most hilarious gift. The gift of subtle manipulation. He has taught me not to fight fire with fire, heat doesn’t respond well with more heat. Use a fire extinguisher. Respond to anger with a smile, let others underestimate you and respond with intelligence. Always keep a smile, people are always watching and waiting for your weakest points, to bring you down more. He refuses to let me fall.
She is my laughter. She exposes the side of me that is barely seen. She knows more about me than I can ever imagine, and she accepts me willingly. She understands that it sometimes feels impossible to smile, but she takes that opportunity as a challenge and always seems to succeed. We promise each other that we will always remember; we’re braver than we believe and stronger than we seem. We promise to keep each other smiling.
He is difficult to analyze. He breathes through music. His music makes the story of his life that many don’t understand. My musical admiration stems from growing up around him. We are nothing alike, but through music, we communicate.
She is the collective reasoning for all of our strengths. She is the base of my base. Her strength is remarkable. Now physically fragile, mentally stronger than all of us combined, it’s unimaginable. Through many trials and tribulations, she is the most triumphant, and the most humble.
He is my comfort and warmth. Climbing on top of me to fall asleep. Our stomachs rising and falling in unison. His head on my heart, listening as if it is his lullaby at night. He loves me unconditionally, always knowing exactly the right time I need him the most. He makes me laugh with his human tendencies. He is the most superlative gift.
Finally, she is my most surprising gift. I didn’t recognize her gift until four years after her death. She gave me the power to admire life as it is, like she did in her very last hours. She taught me not to question the people in your life or why they are there, they’re always there for a reason. In the end it won’t matter what your life means or why certain people are there; all that matters is how many lives you change in the process of just being you.