There is nothing sweeter than the gift of a true friend.

                                  The fruit of life

     Brad had been my best friend since I was 5 years old.We'd grown up together and were very close.Unfortunately,after 12 years of friendship,my family moved 2,000 miles away.Although Brad and I  struggled with the separation,we knew our true feelings of friendship for each other would never change.

    My first summer in my new town,Brad came to visit me and my family.As a special treat,my mom bought a giant bag of cherries-the kind my whole family loved.I was shocked to hear Brad say he didn't like the sweet cherries(how could anyone not like them,I wondered).I tried to get him to eat some,but he simply refused.It became a joke for us the rest of his stay.

   When the time came for Brad to leave,we were both sad.Our lives would both go on,even though we were going to be apart.He knew I would miss him dearly, and I was sure he felt the same way about me.

   Before he left,Brad wrote me a note in my yearbook from my new school.He found a blank page and poured his heart out to me.The best part of the message came at the end when he signed his name.He wrote:

          I don't think that many people are blessed with the gift of a true friend,so I am really glad of a true friend,so I am really glad that I have you.I want you to know that I would do anything for you.If you really wanted,I'd even eat cherries-a whole bowl fo them.

        Love,Brad

                                             Contributed by Jodi Orgill Brown