My Friend Jessica

It’s amazing how some friendships are made. How a friend can have a big impact on your life. Like Jessica and I. We’ve been living near each other for about ten years, but we never met. Today, we are the best of friends. We have been for seven years now.

Our friendship is miraculous. How it became what it is today. I had seen her before, but yet we never met the whole time. We lived on the same block for a couple years. She stayed maybe six houses down from me. We attended the same elementary school. We both volunteered at Columbus Park. We even attended the same high school. We had mutual friends from both schools.

We finally met in high school, but not until the end of my sophomore year. We actually met outside of Michele Clark High School. My boyfriend (at the time) was her cousin. Jessica and I hung out with him and some other people a few times as a group. I am more into art and she was into partying. But, then she and I found common ground with music and family. That’s when our friendship begun!

The good thing about her, she helps me stay on track. I can be a tough cookie and hard to deal with. For instance, my attire, she helped me move from this boyish style to wearing dresses, heels and eyeliner. The very first time I wore a dress on my own was at the age of 16 ½. I never felt the need to look like a young lady. She indeed was a big impact on my life.  She helped me with school, daycare, and a job! She’s a shoulder to lean on and cry on. A person to talk with and chill to be girly girls. To tell my secrets, worries, dreams and funny things.

I am happy to have met Jessica. Who is Jessica? She is my best friend. She and I are crazy cool.  Dramatic, but who isn’t? She’s this and I’m that, but when you put us together were all that!

Tanyette

Helping Others

Has anyone ever told you it’s always nice to help? You never know what’ll happen until you try. It’s important and healthy. Not only to the person in need but you’ll feel better!

To help is to relieve, to serve & provide. I have always been “The Helper”. It’s in me to help. I go about my day helping others morning, noon and night. Even with small things. I can’t exactly pin point one “Good Thing.” How? It’s so much I can’t just give you one but I’ll give a few. I do much as I can in fact I overwork myself for someone else. For instance, me doing things for someone when I know I have to be somewhere or hurting myself in the process of helping somebody.

I go about my day helping others, from the morning to night. I even get awakened out of my sleep. I help my sister with her laundry, why? She works a 12hr shift & she’s worn out & I even cook for her sometimes. For my grandmother, I run her errands & I mean just about everything: her bills, laundry, food, store runs—you name it, I’ve done it. I am the muscle around the house: the creator, cook, nurse, technician, librarian, mom, and teacher. I am all those things in one! I am the helper.

Now that was just house related help! When I get outside I give to strangers, I help folks with grocery bags, holding the door. One day I was on my feet all day and the bus took about 30 minutes to arrive, I hadn’t even sat down for a minute before an elderly woman came on the bus. I gave my seat up. Then some children got on the bus afterwards, so basically I stood up the entire 20 minute ride.

But it goes further than just physically helping another. There are words you can use to help someone feel good about themselves. They could’ve been through something so awful. For instance, when I had this mean scar (present now), someone told me that they loved my beauty mark. I stood in awe, like huh? But he touched his jaw and it reassured me that he was talking about my scar. It made me feel better. You don’t always have to do, just say!

Knowledge is power; it’s the key to life. Why? If you know better you’ll do better! There was a bulletin about helping others. Maybe one of these years I’ll create a fraternity for helping those in need. Or maybe write a book about helping others, being an author is something to work on. Real or fiction, it gives an outlook on life. My earnings will go to my fraternity that helps the needy.

All in all, one leads & two shall follow! If you take a chance to do one good deed a week? Maybe the next week you can do more than just one. Then someone like your sister or husband noticed that you are conscientious about your act and they followed. “Don’t underestimate the power of small good deeds”!

 Tanyette