Descriptive Portrait Essay, Research Paper

Portrait

Have you ever had someone in your life who helped you figure

out who who you were? Someone who showed you the right path.

Someone who was there right next you even if you did not take

that path. Someone who always seemed to be right, but never held

it against you when you were not. Someone whom without your life

would most likely be entirely different. I have. Her name was

Melissa.

Melissa was more than my neighbor. She was more than my

mentor. She was my best friend. Melissa lived three houses down

from me when I moved into a new neighborhood. She made moving to

a new neighborhood alot easier. She was one of those people who

was friends with everybody. She was friends with everyone because

she was so special. She was always in a good mood, always had

something pleasant to say, and no matter what was going on, she

could get you to smile.

Melissa was a few years older than me but we were both

young. I was in the fifth grade and she was in junior high when

we met. She was tall for her age and practically towered over me.

She almost always kept her long golden hair pulled back into a

pony tail because she was a bit of a tomboy and liked to be

athletic. But when she let it down and it waved in the gentle

breeze, there was no doubt she was a girl. Her facial features

were very soft, yet if you met her once, you would never forget

her name. She also had the deepest green eyes that would sparkle

so bright when she flashed her pearly white teeth, she could

light up an entire room. Which she often did.

Everywhere she was, there would be laughter, smiles and

happiness spreading out like some sort of delightful virus. She

would listen to you. She would be your friend, even if she just

met you. I can not remember a time when she had something

unpleasant to say about someone. That was one of many valuable

lessons I learned from her and have made apart of my life.

She seemed to know everything. Anytime I had a perplexing

question I knew she would know what to tell me. Her wisdom

spanned several subjects. Everything from the textbook things

they wanted me to learn in school, to the life lessons that there

are no textbooks for.

She taught me by example. She showed me that getting mad,

upset, angry or so irate that I allowed myself to be controlled

by my emotions. She was always calm, patient, and even tempered

when faced with people who were less than pleasant to be around.

I learned from watching her deal with people that being nice

never fails. And I learned from watching her deal with the

situations life would present that as long as you gave everything

you had to give and never quit, you could never be beat.

Melissa was a truly amazing friend. She was a true friend. I

could always depend on her being there for me with the right

words of advice. Even if I did not want to hear what she was

saying. She had been exactly where I was and she knew how

perilous the journey of adolescence could be. She informed and

guided me in my choices. Yet she never forced anything on me. My

mistakes were for me to make. But she would be right there to

steer me back once I realized what I had done.

I know for a fact that my life and my attitudes toward life

would be different if I had never known Melissa. There were so

many times in my life where I would have been completely lost

without her kind words and soft voice there to soothe and

shepherd me. Even though Melissa is not around anymore, she is

still with me. In my attitudes and actions everyday of my life.

I could never forget what she showed me. And I would never want

to.