Friendship through Hardship

Recently, I have been having trouble with my family. Ever since my dad was removed from the home, my family has been having trouble with finances, our interactions, and our stress levels. My dad is bipolar and so am I, so we would have really big fights and things were terrible before he left. Before he was removed, he left three times, but every time he would come back and be meaner than before. Everything was very stressful, and he dropped his job to scrap (take in scrap metal for money); and when he left, my mom was left with the responsibility of taking care of three kids alone; two of which are teenagers, managing a job, managing finances, and keeping up a house. She is a wonderful woman and I appreciate all she does. My family is full of fighters (mentally), and my mom is no exception. My dad is also an addict, and an alcoholic, and he fell back into addictions before the Christmas of 2012. When my mom found out, everything went downhill. It was a downward spiral that would last for two more years. My mom tried to save her marriage, but when my dad physically abused me and got kicked out by CPS, she broke and told him she wanted a divorce. The divorce hasn't officially happened since my dad is in the recovery center he is in. Things are rough, and I know God has a plan, but I can only pray and open my heart to God's will. I feel stressed and I have gotten back into two of my addictions, but haven't done them in one month. I attribute the success I have had in controlling them to God. Now that I have explained what has happened, I can tell you about my best friend. He is a great person who keeps me sane. I tell him everything, and he gets it. He isn't the kind of friend who says, "I understand" when he hasn't been there, he just listens and says that everything will be okay in the long run. He keeps things simple and I love him (as a friend of course). He is the greatest friend I have ever had, we knew each other through elementary school, then talked a little through middle school, didn't talk during freshman year (I was at a different school), then sophomore year, we both had the same friend and we didn't know it until I went to her house and he was there. Then we caught up and have been best friends since. He means the world to me and I wrote this to tell myself that I can get through it, as long as I keep the people I love close. I will keep him close for the rest of my life. I also wrote this to let him know how much he means to me. He has stayed true to me through my struggles, and I have been there for him too. Last night, we talked and we both vented about what had been going on in our lives. He was upset for a while and wasn't talking to anybody for a long time, but last night, we got to let things out. It helps to have somebody who will listen to every little thing you have to say, no matter how stupid it may seem. He doesn't make things bigger than they are, and I need that because I tend to make things exaggerated. Thank you to my best friend.