Kudos to friendship.

During the Foundation Day, we held a ritual honoring friendships. As the tapuy coursed through my parched esophagus, I remembered my long-forgotten friends...those who once became a part of my life.

For a moment, I wondered what became of them and wished them all happiness. I hoped that when we meet again, the gap created by our parting will be closed and the years apart will be as nothing.

As we performed the ritual, realized that friendship, in its intimacy, goes beyond the physical and that neither absence nor distance can destroy it.

I also recalled a life without friends. Life would be an empty canvass without them for they are the ones who paint on it. Each one leaves a splash of color that affect our lives and forever change us. Our lives are then made beautiful.

In this way, friends provide glimmers of hope and growth amidst desolation and pain.

The tapuy settling in my stomach created a warm sensation. I remembered friends who were still with me, who stuck with me through all these years and gave me unconditional love. I was lightheaded with joy over these realizations. My friends have made my life rich and bountiful.