what can i really say.... we grew up together, he was my brother and i can never forget him. we used to hang out all the time since our moms worked together at UTMB, after he died, my mom found a bunch of pictures of us when we were kids; he used to come to all my birthday parties when we were kids. we had so much fun together and as we got older, our brotherhood grew stronger. we had each other's back through thick and thin. it saddens me to say that after we got to high school that we grew apart, we just had different friends; but even after it all i still gladly called him my brother..... and even when we grew apart he was still there for me. when i needed a friend the most and everyone was too busy, he showed up with his big smile to help cheer me up. now i just feel a hole, and i see him all the time as i think about everything we used to do; play video games, watch movies, drive around, ec cetera. i think if i could say one last thing to him it'd be that i miss him and i love him like a brother. i don't think he ever really knew how much i thought highly of him, he just had that big generous heart, he was a giving and caring person. i just wished i could have been even a fraction of, he was just a good person all around. i think one thing i still plan on doing was something we said we'd do after graduation, driving to california. we joked saying we'd go just to go, see what it was like. if anything its something to do just because i think he'd want me to go.

jared i miss you, and i'll never forget you. hope to see you again past them pearly gates bro

-Daniel Leyva 
 

Life is Too Short

When my best friend passed away, reality had struck me hard right before me very eyes. I stared hard towards the empty distance in front of me with a somewhat blur in my vision. It was just too hard to consume at that very moment. When my best friend died, I felt like I died with him.

My best friend was my bundle of joy. He was sometimes not even labeled as my best friend, sometimes and mostly referred to as my brother, my partner in crime, my enemy, my home-slice, my skillet biscuit, my bubba, my other half, and everything else in the book. When knowing that I had been with this person since the day we took our first breaths into this world, there was no way I could ever imagine life without him.

The first Tuesday of October started off very blissful to make up for the dreadful Monday the previous day. As long as good things kept coming up that day, I had nothing else to worry about. At the same time, I was thinking about what else life has in store for me in the upcoming future of time. Unfortunately, the blissfulness of that day had a very short life span.

Just one shot out of a gun took away my best friend’s life away; away from me. Prior to that day, I remember him telling me what he wanted to do more in life, what he wanted to name his kids, what he wanted to do after high school, and more and more. In his final days, he kept talking to me about his future. There were so many things ahead in his life that were waiting to be accomplished, but that one blow stopped him from doing so.

His last words to me, which I remember in the back of my memory book, was “I want to be in the navy. That is what I want to do for sure once I graduate.” My response to that was just a big, blinding smile. It was what he wanted to do, although I did not expect that of him, all I wanted to do was show him my support. I wanted him to know that I have his back and that I will always be right by his side. Who would have known that he already had such big dreams ahead of him?

His death took a huge toll on my life. I soon came to accept that after his death, one must live life to the fullest. Due to this, reality made me come to the belief that life is too short. My best friend was not able to achieve his dreams in time, but this shows that it can be still carried on by sending a message and inspiring others to not take life for granted because life is too short to not achieve one’s goals. Knowing him has shaped the person who I am today because I now know you can’t regret the things you have done. Life is beautiful, and it should not be wasted because of the many opportunities it has in store for us.

To My Forever Loving Dearest Friend…..Love You Always

-Ingrid