A moment of realization!!

My old pal was here on a visit and whenever we meet, i have too much to talk and it had been 14 months since we had met, so i had to speak :D. I was my usual self, telling a 100 stories about what happened and how things moved and how will my next job be etc etc. Suddenly i was reminded of all the gyaan he gave me before i headed for B school, he is a Harvard alum and the guy who made me write my GMAT. I stopped to say thank you, i mean it was odd, since we take each other for granted, but then i thought he did deserve it. I can never forget what he told me and i think i am fortunate to have the right people around me. I know this guy is going to make it big in life and he features monthly in my blog but then does anyone know what positivity and moving ahead mean??
Well, this is my best pal, someone who lost his entire family in an accident. He was young and he did not know what to do when all his property was taken away overnight by some nasty relatives . I have been around him as a kid, never seen him crib, never seen him cry, he just grew with things. Its just that he was always more matured than me, and i know that i can not take anything against him. As we grew, he went to boarding and i was sent to one too, but i was my papa's baby and i cried once and papa got me back home. He was bright and intelligent and he can just excel at anything he is put into, and he did. Topped year on year, was school prefect and talk about it and he had it - looks, intelligence, attitude and thought process. I have always been so proud of him.
There was one thing constant that we were friends. We were a family, we never dis respected each others thought process, there was always too much support and unbelievable as it may sound, we have not fought in 14 years. I know that he wants the best for himself when it comes to his life. He is a self made man and he is someone who can take on any challenge, so when he told me some years back on one birthday that he wanted to study in Harvard, i knew he was one of the guys in there and he did. There were a lot of ups and downs in his journey, but he just managed them well and what he is at this young age is not what any of us can even dream of. As the world sees it, may be he is big and he is only bound to go up in life. And i am still so proud of him. There is a lot that i have learned from him. I was not born this way, but i am calm now, small things dont bother me, i usually takes things positively and i just know that life is all about moving on.
Today when i thanked him, he told me some amazing words, he said that he had lost everything too early to realize the loss, but what he knew was that there was something to gain in life. He just moved towards it, he knew he could not have died mediocre. He said that he does not know what family means, but he had to thank me for giving all positive associations to it as he thought i have been all that family meant to him. From sharing food and toys, to pocket money and dreams. He said that our friendship was his only fuel to keep things moving when everything else stopped and then he wonders if anyone in this world has what he has and if thank you could have done justice to me?
I was in tears. Here was a pal who has been with me in the toughest of times and who made my life in more than one ways. Till date i have no idea about his busy schedules and work, i just know that whatever be the time and whatever be his work, if i need him, he will be there. I have learned from him that tears are not the way to live life, you just take things heads on. He is the one who made me stand when i did not know if i ever will. I had no clue what to say. I knew thank you were wrong words. There are some people who will give you even if destiny takes away everything from them and they will grow up in life to do good for the world. Its just that for some people you dont have any words, you probably thank God that you were fortunate that he gave you such pals.
I have learned something today, there are some people who will take you for granted and that words like thank you and sorry will hurt.