"A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words." -- Unknown

"How do you think of topics to write about?" my best friend asked.

"Well, it usually isn't that difficult to write, the hard part is developing the central idea," I replied.

But then I have days like today when I am facing a deadline and have no clue what to write about. Besides, this is my last column of the quarter -- no pressure, right?

Even after brainstorming for the past three days and trying to find my list of column ideas I came up with this past summer, I just haven't had any luck.

Oh, I did find the above quote while surfing the Web a few minutes ago and thought why not write about friendship?

Why haven't I thought of this idea before? I mean my friends and family are the most important thing in my life.

When I found this quote, it just reminded me how lucky I was to find a friend like Kassi (my best friend.)

After all, she is the one person besides my parents who believes in me the most.

I've learned that sometimes it's difficult for us to perceive ourselves as others do.

When I feel I can't do something and just want to give up, Kassi is always right behind me, supporting me, knowing "the song in my heart."

Sometimes I think she gives me too much credit.

When I saw this quote, it fit perfect. I couldn't have said it better.

After meeting each other our sophomore year of high school, coming to Tech barely knowing a soul and living together for the past two years, this summer was the first time we were apart for more than two days.

Kassi went to New Jersey for the summer and I was here, living by myself.

The day she left we hugged each other and cried our eyes out but realized it was only going to be three months.

We wondered, if we were acting like this now, what we were going to do when we both graduated and moved to opposite sides of the country.

Actually we really weren't concerned with that issue.

Right then, the problem was that we were going to be apart for three months.

We talked almost every day, but it just wasn't the same. Going from being with someone constantly to not seeing each other at all was a major adjustment for both of us.

Kassi and I practically do everything together.

We are roommates, in the same sorority and even work at the same place. I wasn't joking when I said we are always together.

Although there were many disadvantages of her three-month-long trip to New Jersey, I think we learned a lot about ourselves and each other.

We each made new friends and grew closer to old ones.

Being apart also taught us that just because we are not together all of the time, doesn't mean we will not always be best friends. That is something no one can take away from us.

Kassi is one of the most selfless people I know and has been the best friend I could ever ask for.

I only hope I have done the same for her and can remember the "song in her heart when she has forgotten the words."

Jennifer Reynolds is a junior journalism major from Shreveport and serves as a news editor for The Tech Talk.