Four friends

I have four friends. Four pieces that have been and are a part of my life's grand puzzle. Four wonderful souls that all are in some stage of the toughest fight of their lives right now. Up against a sinister and sneaky foe that no one ever asks for - that no one ever welcomes or needs. That corners them all in their very own skin - on their own ground.

None of them will probably ever meet or see each other which makes me kinda sad. They will not learn how to rig a pit from one, or learn how to dress up in medieval costume from the second, or stay up all night in the rotunda from the third, or make a new sister-in-law feel welcome in the family from the forth. But I know. I know each of them in turn and in different ways. I have these memories tucked away - a gift from each of them. And their common fight unites them.

I am worried for all of them but I grip tight to hope for all four - as bright as a torch my hope burns - no matter how hard the battle ahead. And I want to tell them that they've made a difference in my life and I feel very lucky and privileged to call these four souls my friends.