Dear best friend,

I know that you are hurting, and that is OK. I know that you are sad, and that is OK. I know that you are going to need to be alone to figure out what life means now, and that is OK.

Your dad loved you. He loved you so much, and he was so proud of you. You could tell every time he was around you. You are his daughter, and that father-daughter bond is a special one.

Everything you are feeling right now is valid. It's real, and it's true. Your sadness, your hopelessness, your pain — it is all OK to feel right now. It is OK to feel like that for a while.

As someone who has seen you grow, shrink, fall and conquer, I want you to know that you can get through this. It may not be alone. It may take some time. It may be hard. It may be rough. None of that matters because, despite how weak you feel right now, you are so strong. You are the strongest person I have had the pleasure of sharing a friendship with.

I will always be here for you. No matter what you need, how far away you are or how in need you are, I will always be a phone call away. You have been there for me during my lowest, darkest moments, and I can never do enough to say thank you for that. But I can try my hardest.

These are the moments in life that hurt the most, and they're the ones that will be the darkest. But they are also the moments to grow and tell the universe that you can survive anything. He would want you to live your life the way that makes him the proudest. And, in reality, he was and always will be so proud of you.

I know you're not really sure what happens after we leave this world, but wherever you believe him to be, he will be there. He will always be guiding you, and you'll always keep him in your heart.

For right now though, it is OK to grieve and take the time you need to heal — to remember him the way that he was in your life. He loved you, he loves you and he will continue to love you forever.