The One Left Behind

I have three best friends.

Braden Paulsen.

Cody Bauman.

Brandon Johnson.

They're the three people in the entire universe that know almost all there is to know about me.

While all of them may not know all the same things about me, I would count them as family, if it where so allowed.

I have three best friends.

Braden.

Cody.

Brandon.

The three un-related men in my life that I would die for, no questions asked.

Braden and Cody have been with me the longest and are my brothers that God couldn't fit into my family. Brandon has carried me when walking was no longer possible and no one else would give me a shoulder to lean on.

I have three best friends.

Paulsen.

Bauman.

Johnson.

Three men that have been with me through times of laughter, joy, happiness, hope, memories, and muffin wars.

Three guys that have stood by me through rumors, gossip, tears, depression, hurt, and devastation.

I have three best friends.

Braden Paulsen.

The man who kicks my butt into gear and knows exactly how to do it. The one where conversations can range from school days to the meaning of life and singing Phantom of the Opera over the phone. The one who's quick to humor, slow to open up, and even slower to forget.

Cody Bauman.

The man who has a shoulder for me to cry upon no matter how close or distant we have been. The man who has a word of advice to fix everything. The one who forgave me after the terrible, horrible things I did to him, and that alone surely seals the deal on his way to heaven.

Brandon Johnson.

The man who's changed my perspective on life in the short time I've known him. The one who knows what makes me laugh and just the words to pull my heartstrings (or rip them out all together). The one who makes me keep going just one more day. The man that understands me and who caught me when I fell.

I have three best friends.

Three men who impacted my life more than anything else has up to these short nineteen years.

The three men who made me keep going when everything said to stop and who I've let down multiple times, yet they still have some hope always on hand for me.

Three missionaries who have experienced everything with me.

Until now.

I have three best friends.

Elder Paulsen.

Elder Bauman.

Elder Johnson.

Three men that will go forth and preach and convert the lost.

Three boys who have impacted my life so much, that it's no question that they will impact those they will meet.

Three men who have taken the first steps away from me...

Those three men and this one girl have reached a fork in the road.

I am Janaye Stetson.

I have had these three men to help me through everything.

And now, I will soon have none of them.

I am Janaye.

I have cried so many times over these three men.

I have laughed twice as much with them as well.

I am Stetson.

I have not been through nearly enough to be worthy for being in the presence of these three men.

I have hope that one day I will be able to see them still as my best friends.

I am Janaye Stetson.

I am the one left behind.

"Three men and I in battle fought side by side.
We slayed each others foes, and never would depart.
Now I battle alone.
Their names are my battle cry.
Their memories carved on my heart."
--J.M. Stetson