Thank you for letting me copy your homework when I forgot to do mine, for filling me in on the latest gossip every day at lunch, for being a shoulder for me to cry on when that boy broke my heart yet again. Thank you for putting up with me on my bratty days, for withstanding my mean jokes, for standing by me when I didn't deserve you. Thank you for liking me when I was still learning to like myself. I failed each one of you in so many ways, yet each day you showed me grace and forgiveness.
Thank you for all of the memories we made that I will forever cherish. I cannot imagine enduring high school without the support and companionship I received from each one of you. Although we had our fair share of ups and downs, (as is to be expected with a group of teenage girls) I remember those moments far less often than the moments in which we made each other laugh so hard we cried.
Most of all, thank you for helping to mold me into who I am today. Teenage years are rough and the friends you choose greatly influence your decisions and actions. I will forever be grateful to you guys for being good examples to me and leading me towards smart choices. Instead of pressuring me to drink or do drugs you guys challenged me to make better grades and grow closer to the Lord and for that I will forever be grateful. It scares me to think of how differently my life might have turned out had I not had friends like you to influence me for the better.
Although we don't talk every day and some of you I haven't spoken to in months, know that I will always carry a piece of you in my heart. I will consistently stalk you on social media, cheering for you when you graduate from college, congratulating you when you get that first big-girl job, and tearing up when you post that announcement that you have found your one true love and get to spend the rest of your life with him. When I have kids one day, I'll tell them about all of our crazy adventures (okay, maybe not all of them) and pray that one day they will have friends as good as the ones I was blessed with.
I loved watching each one of you grow with each passing year of high school and I continue to enjoy seeing with each new post any of you make another milestone or happy moment in your lives. We always said we would stay friends forever, but I think deep down we all knew we were only but a chapter in one another's lives. That chapter may be mostly over, but we can always go back and reread the pages. If any of you ever need anything I will do my best to always be there for you, and I look forward to our next annual Starbucks date.
