Friendship is something I really value. I have at least three friends who go back with me to childhood. We stay in contact with each other through phone calls and visits. They are very dear to me. One of them died recently, and it bothers me that he has left this life. He was the one that went back farthest with me. I really miss him and wish he was still around.
His name was Johnny Moore and from first grade until he died, we were best friends. It’s sometimes hard for me to accept the fact that he’s gone. I always thought that he’d be the one that outlived me. He was a very caring and loving person. Because of his departure, there’s a void in my life. I loved him unconditionally.
We were very close from first grade through fifth grade. Then I was transferred to another school. For three years, we didn’t really see each other. Then in the eighth grade, I ran into him. We had our first and only fight. It was the first time we had seen each other after about three years. We were at a friend’s house that I had met during our absence from each other’s lives. I think I acted like we had not known each other before. I believe this made him angry. But after that fight, we never had any animosity with each other and became even closer.
He eventually made me the godfather of his daughter. He never asked me to be her godfather. One day we were talking, and he told me that I was his daughter’s godfather. It really surprised me because at the time, I was very sick as a result of using LSD and was receiving mental health treatment. This showed me just how much he cared for me. If I had any disagreements with anyone, he always took my side. He was closer to me than my brothers. I loved him dearly and miss him every day.
I don’t think I’ll ever have a better friend than Johnny. It bothers me to this day that I missed his funeral. I was in treatment in an institution for my LSD abuse and when I heard he was dead, I didn’t want to believe it. His wife died about two weeks after him. I believe in a broken heart. She couldn’t go on living without him. He was that kind of guy.
I believe he was the kind of friend you meet only once in a lifetime. I know he’s in Heaven right now with Jesus. I look forward to seeing him there. He became a Christian at the age of about 28 and let me know that he was disappointed in me for taking so long to convert after him. He knew I knew the truth but was running away from it. But he loved me despite myself. He was indeed my best friend ever.
I think about him every day and wish he was still here with me, but I know he’s in a better place and wouldn’t wish he was not there.
