舊時友，勿相忘

You will never have friends like those you had when you were a child. I know it sounds silly， but when you think about it， you realize it’s true. The friendships you create during childhood hold a special place in your heart forever. The memories that you shared with those special people never seem to fade away， even as the years overlap one another and you make new friends. Unfortunately， sometimes you don’t realize the impact a friend can make on you until he or she is no longer a presence in your life. This is the case with Shawn.

Shawn was my first true friend. He was the one I spent long summer afternoons with building a fort in the woods， the one who I rode bikes with in the neighborhood， and as we matured， the one I talked to about girls. Shawn was your 1）quintessential neighborhood buddy. As the years flew by， however， we changed in our ways and our long-lasting friendship was halted at a fork in the road. We each pursued new directions in our lives and failed to regain our 2）companionship.

Years went by without us saying a word to each other. Then， suddenly on a cold December morning during our freshman year of high school， I was told that Shawn’s mother had lost a battle to breast cancer. The 3）devastating news hit me like an oncoming train. I had had no idea that she was in a fight against cancer， and I lived down the street！ Memories of her making us lunch and driving us in her blue mini-van flashed across my mind 4）instantaneously. How could she now be gone？ I felt like I had just seen her yesterday.

The death of Shawn’s mom consumed my mind in the days that followed. I wasn’t sure how to react to the situation. We used to be friends， but now we weren’t. I debated whether or not to go to the funeral all the way up until the time of the service， at which point I mustered up enough courage to make appear. Perhaps this is one of the best decisions I have ever made. As I stood in line to wait my turn at the funeral home， I panicked over what to say. I mean， what do you say to a fourteenyear-old who has just lost his mother， and to make it worse， an old friend that you no longer keep in touch with？ When I made my way up to Shawn， you could tell he was surprised to see me and he asked why I bothered to come after all these years of no communication. I responded， “Because this is what friends do.”

Never forget your old friends， never. No matter how many years may pass， you will always remember the friends you once had. Keep them in your heart and in your mind. Friendships may come and go， but the love will always be there.

你永不會再結識到孩童時那樣的朋友。我知道這聽起來很可笑，但當你細心一想，你便會明白這并非謬論。孩童時結下的友誼永遠會在你心中保有一個特殊的位置。你與那些特別的人所分享的回憶就如永不褪去一般，甚至當年月更迭，你交了新朋友，這種感受依舊不變。不幸的是，有時候，你不會意識到朋友給你所帶來的影響，直至他或她不再出現(xiàn)在你的生命之中。這便是肖恩帶給我的感受。

肖恩是我第一個真正的朋友。他是那個我在多個漫長的夏日午后一起在樹林里建堡壘的玩伴，他是那個與我在鄰里間一起騎單車的小伙伴，也是在少年期一起聊著怎樣追求女孩的那個同伴。肖恩是最典型的鄉(xiāng)鄰密友。然而，隨著年月的飛逝，我們彼此也在改變，長久的友誼在人生的分岔路上戛然而止。我們各自追尋起人生的新方向，友情不再。

多年過去，我們不再和對方說一個字。然后，在我們上高一的一個寒冷的12月早晨，我得知肖恩的媽媽在與乳腺癌的抗爭中敗下陣來。這個毀滅性的消息如同奔馳的火車向我襲來。我并不知道她一直在與癌癥作斗爭，而我就住在街道的那頭！她為我們做午飯，載著我們在她那藍色的小貨車里的那些記憶在我的腦海中立時一閃而過。如今她怎么就離世了呢？我感覺自己就像昨天才見過她一樣。

肖恩媽媽離世的消息在隨后的日子里一直縈繞在我心頭。我不太確定如何應對這種情況。我們曾是朋友，如今不是了。對于要不要參加葬禮我一直猶豫不定，直到儀式要開始了，我才鼓足勇氣現(xiàn)身出席?；蛟S這是我有生以來所作的最好的決定之一。當我在殯儀館排隊等候的時候，我對自己要說些什么惶恐不安。我的意思是，你能對一個十四歲剛失去母親的孩子說些什么呢？更糟的是，他是一個你不再聯(lián)系的老朋友。當我向肖恩走去時，看得出他對我的出現(xiàn)有多驚訝，并且問我為何在多年彼此不再聯(lián)絡后還費心來參加葬禮。我回答說：“因為這是作為朋友該做的事?！?/p>

永遠不要忘記你的老朋友，永遠不要。不管多少年過去，你一直都會記得自己曾交過的那些朋友。把他們放在心上，放在腦海里。友情可能會來了又去，但那份關愛永遠都在。