National Adult Literacy Database

December 7, 1998

This week, our story comes from the Adult Literacy Council of Greater Fort Erie, Ontario. The author, Andrea Menig, joined the Council in 1993 after losing her reading, writing and math skills as a result of a brain aneurism. She has been working very hard to regain these skills and is now able to read the newspaper and correspond with her friends. Andrea enjoys writing and hopes to make a career of writing short stories.

A Friend

by Andrea Menig

Some people look for qualities they think are important for their friend. I think a friend should make me a better person. I feel I should like a person for who they are. I try to be a good friend and to me, this means I will do my best to help a friend through good times and bad. My pals can count on me, because I'll not let them down. Just doing all these things will make me a better person.

The dictionary describes a friend as a person whom you are fond of, and, who knows you well. The meaning is fine, but there's more than being a friend. There is the feeling of friendship. I'm happy when I spend time with my friends. This gives us a chance to relax and have fun. I enjoy sharing a joke, and laughs, and secrets, and time with my friends. I believe a friend shouldn't be thought of as a noun, but more like an adjective. You are lucky to find someone who knows the true meaning of being a friend. It takes a special person to be a very good friend.