For so many years,
ever since I was in Vietnam,
where I lost everyone that I considered valuable
and close to me,
I was not able to use the word "friend."
It took years, many years,
and the unguarded and freely given friendship
of a man that I today consider a true friend,
a brother,
to give that word back to me.
And then he died.
But in his death I learned a valuable lesson:
Do not hold back your feelings,
your thoughts, your emotions, your desires;
rather, share them, test them,
learn from the results,
and enjoy the results of that experience.
Love is not just a physical or emotional thing —
it is also a part of being alive,
a part of living.
Do not fear it.
Always remember this:
A friend, if he is a friend in the truest,
most meaningful sense of the word,
is so important and valuable to you,
that, should he die,
you wish that you were the one who had left, instead.

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