Richelle E. Goodrich

Gregory?_ I called. I couldn__ help myself. It was irrational, but I was scared to see him run from me. He turned my direction, his feet pivoting in the dirt. Warily, I crossed into the light for a moment. __o you, um_ I inhaled deeply. __o you think you__l still want to be my friend tomorrow?_ I held my breath and waited for his answer. Although I could feel the sunshine perceptibly tingle every inch of exposed skin, the way Gregory smiled at me produced a swell of warmth unmatchable even for the sun. ____l always want to be your friend, Annabelle. Do you want to be mine?_ My head nodded like mad, ecstatic, all on its own. I disappeared among the shadows again and watched my new friend until he stepped around the Hopkins_ house. Then I waited until his car drove off -- Gregory and his mother headed for home. I was on a high like no other, but I__ not lost my grasp on reality entirely. I knew that the real test would come Monday. It was one thing to befriend an outcast in the privacy of the woods, but quite another to risk ridicule and reputation when surrounded by peers. This was true even for those with the biggest of hearts, which I now believed Gregory Hill to have.

Life__ gonna kick you in the butt.That__ what it does. But if you gotta put up with this crap, the least you can expect is that your friends will stand by you. I mean, for crying in the night, what else are friends for but to help you make right what isn__ in life? (Kira, The Mishmorat)

If your best friend truly is the person who knows you completely and loves you anyway, wouldn't that be your mother?

Life is hard and unfair. It is cruel and heartless, painful, trying, disappointing, unapologetic, and frequently downright awful. But that's not important. What's important is that through it all you learn how much you need your Heavenly Father and how much your friends need you.

Friendship is not about ships__o matter how big and fancy and expensive the yacht is.

Friends are those crazy people who keep coming back, in spite of being exposed to the real you.

One of the most critical decisions made in life is choosing with whom to spend your time. For it is those close relationships that gradually mold our character until we become a reflection of the company we keep.

Dogs are loyal friends, and if they could talk, your secrets would still be safe. (If my cat could talk, I__ have to let the dog eat her.)

I wish everyone had someone who never popped their balloons.

Friends are the artists who paint happy lips on your face.

Be someone__ security blanket when theirs is in the wash.

To obtain wealth beyond measure, seek to make more friends than money.

Heaven's currency is friendship.

Employing your imagination is the first step to the fulfillment of any dream.

I live in two unique worlds, traveling between both with just the opening or closing of my eyes.

Daydream. Because you can't accomplish what you've never fully imagined.

The magic of reading happens when an author__ written work strings you along until your imagination, aware of your wants, molds the tale into an extraordinary world to be visited frequently__erhaps dwelt in for years.

If there weren__ so many interesting conversations taking place inside my head, I might venture to speak out loud.