First of all, thank you. Thank you for not letting age become a barrier between our souls. Age so often becomes a classification that groups and separates people from each other, but thank you for not letting that happen with me.

It took me a long time to realize that friendship wasn't based on age. Throughout school, I felt classified and locked up by the name of each class: fifth graders, sixth graders, seventh graders, and eighth graders to freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors. I got stuck wondering why I didn't have as many friends in my "age" group and why I seemed to have more who were younger or older than I was. A couple years ago, I finally realized that it didn't matter if my friends were my age or not because friendship is friendship; age doesn't matter at all... the relationship does. Friends who aren't the same age can learn so much more about life and about the world from each other than those who are.

To my friends who are younger than I am, thank you for being my glimpses into the past. You always remind me of myself and cause me to think about what I used to be like. I don't think about that enough. I am constantly thinking about my next steps in life that I forget to think about the little girl who dreamed of doing big things, and when I think of you all, I see myself, and it inspires me to remember my past because who I was is so important to me now more than ever.

To my friends who are older than I am, thank you for being my guides into the future. You always give me advice for the things to come, and it means so much. Whether it's relationship advice for the boyfriend I don't have yet or career advice for the job I don't have yet, I love your words of wisdom, and I cherish them deeply because you have been through it all, and I have only just begun. Your pasts tell great stories, and I thank you for sharing them with me because I can learn from them just like you did.

Most of all, thank you for genuinely caring about me. We may not see each other very often, but I know that I can always talk to you and that you care about me like I care about you. We never disregarded each other because of our ages, and that is something special. Whether a classmate, a classmate in another grade, a teacher, a mentor, a family member, a relative, a coach, a co-worker, or more (it's endless), thank you for supporting me, encouraging me, believing in me, and befriending me. Please know that just as I've got a friend in you, you've always got a friend in me.