"Because of you, I laugh a little harder, cry a little less and smile a lot more".

To the friends I never thought I'd have and those who have been there all along,

We have gotten so close these past months, and I don’t think I could’ve asked for better friends. Our paths met unexpectedly, and I wish the circumstances in meeting all of you was different. You all were friends with my brother and I don’t think he could have had a better group of people to hang with. Before he was taken from us, I had heard about some of you through stories he had told or just by saying who he was hanging out with one day or another, I never had faces to put to these names, nor did I never think his friends would become mine and my sister’s.

Tragedy has a way of bringing people together and honestly, I don’t know what I would have done without all of you. You made the hard times better whether we would get together, share stories and laugh or shed some tears, you were always there. My brother was your brother and losing him is the hardest thing most of us are going through. We all share the same love for my brother and having so many people who cared for him just as much as my family and I have, says something. Knowing that we have each other’s backs make the situation better. When I say we have each other’s backs I mean it. We are all there for each other when you need to rant, cry, laugh or just sit in silence with someone I know I can go to anyone of you and you’ll be there and vice-versa.

We’ve shared and made a lot of memories throughout these months and hopefully we'll make more over the years. The only thing I would want to change to make our time together better is to have our brother be with us. In the meantime, we just have to laugh more, party harder and never let the memories fade; he wouldn’t want it any other way. We all share this strong bond thanks to him, a bond that will never break. So, thank you to the new friends and those who have been there forever. Thank you for allowing me to be able to laugh and smile through these times as well as being a shoulder to cry on. Thank you for listening to me rant, talk about school, and have meaningful conversations with at any time of day. And most importantly thank you for watching out for my sister and I. To the friends I never thought I’d have and those who’ve been there though it all, the friends that became family.

Thank you.