20 Years

I was 15 years old when one of my best friends from high school was shot and killed in cold blood by another classmate.  That was 20 years ago.  I can't believe it's been 20 years already, sometimes it still feels like yesterday.  May 25 is a very hard day for me every year, it has been a hard day for 20 years.

Yesterday, was his 20 year memorial.  His sister and brother, some other family members, and of course his closest friends were there.  We met at his graveside to visit, remember him, and release balloons to send messages to him in Heaven. His cousin read a beautiful Poem, his sister read a letter she wrote to him.  We laughed, we cried, we took pictures, we remembered.  From there we went to the city park, where his sister had put together a barbecue in remembrance.  I saw friends who I haven't seen in 16 years.  I keep in touch with them via Facebook, but it just isn't the same thing as actually getting to hug them, see their faces, hear their voices and know that they're laughing and crying just the same as I am.  We passed a book around and wrote memories of our friend in it.  That was hard.  I avoided that book for as long as I could while I tried to think up a memory or two that wouldn't bring tears.  There are so many memories, I mean, we grew up together.  There was hardly a time we were apart, or on the phone with each other.  There was a group of us, always together.  Of course, we continued to laugh, and cry and remember our dear friend.  We took pictures, horsed around just like we used to.  Our kids played together too, and we made a different memory, a better memory for this day.  There was still a void, but we saw Nathan in everyone who was there.  He may be gone, but he will never be forgotten.