Besides eating delicious food, Thanksgiving is about sharing your appreciation for the loved ones in your life. Sometimes it’s hard to pause your chaotic life to tell the people you love how much you truly care. Thanksgiving serves as a poignant reminder of the importance of cherishing the time you have with your family and friends, as well as the love you have for them. 15-year-old Lexi Holladay, a sophomore at MHS, has a wide appreciation for her friends.
Lexi is most grateful for her friends. She values all and each one of her friends like they were her own family.
“My friends have been a second family for me that I can go to without judgment and have given me a meaning in life that is so strong that it has made me have the energy to get up and thrive throughout the day,” said Lexi.
In elementary school, Lexi had a hard time making friends, and the one friend who stood by her side and whom she calls her “best friend” is actually me.
“When I started high school, I had so many more friends than I did in elementary, and it has given me that support and reassurance that people care about me and love me. It is so great to have people I can go to, to either have silly conversations or deep, meaningful talks,” said Lexi.
Lexi has had a difficult time opening up to people, but has found it easier to open up to her closest friends.
“One of the reasons why it’s so easy to open up to my friends is because they aren’t judgmental, and they let me be myself and will always be themselves around me,” said Lexi.
Lexi cherishes friend groups where everyone is fully authentic and late-night talks turn into inside jokes, and people who show up for you before you even ask them to. A bond built from a sense of belonging and safety.
“When we all went to the fair, we were all going through such a rough patch, but we were all going through it together. It was a day we all deserved, that brought us all together. No one was left out and we everyone enjoyed those moments. That day was a day that I will never forget. I hold that memory very dear and close to my heart,” said Lexi.
One moment changed her friendship with her best friend forever. She has been friends with me since the 4th grade, a friendship that has grown with you and seen you through all the awkward phases of your life that can not be replaced.
“It was all of our faults, but none of our faults at the same time,” said Lexi.
Lexi and her best friend (me) had a temporary falling out that made these iconic and inseparable best friends break up, which no one saw coming.
“In 7th grade, my best friend stopped being friends with me for a long time because of relationships getting in the way and controlling our friendship terribly. We were both in a very mentally low place that we could not escape,” said Lexi.
We found each other again, by a specific song, “Line Without a Hook” by Ricky Montgomery. We loved all of Ricky’s songs and would often sing them together. On a karaoke Friday, Lexi starts singing “Line Without a Hook” with her other friend. In that moment, I realized I had only one option, and if I didn’t take it, it would be the biggest regret of my life. My stomach rolls and quakes as I slowly, but surely, build up the courage to ask to sing this song with them. Right before the major bridge belt, I run up there and ask if I could sing with them. Lexi says yes, and we all smile together and sing the rest of the song.
“That day, we realized nothing could ever get in the way of our friendship ever again. No relationships or people could rock our world together,” said Lexi.
It made us grow so much and made our friendship stronger and even better than before.
“Things can come between friendships, but the real ones make it through together,” said Lexi.
All of Lexi’s friendships have shaped her as a person, and she is thankful for all that her friends have done.
“I hope all of the close friends I have now stay with me until death parts us,” said Lexi.
