First of all, thank you. Thank you for the beautiful people that you are. You are gifts to me, each and every one of you. You are the people who have shaped me, molded me into who I am today, well you and the Lord but I can see countless times how the Lord used you to show me love. You have been there with me in the depths of my pain, in the peaks of my joy and happiness. You have seen me at my absolute worst, and you didn’t let me stay there. You sought me through those junior high, those high school, and now these college years, and lets me honest, you are going be around forever if you made it through those high school years with me.

You were there for all the boys. You listened to me over think everything and then you would bring me back to reality. You would be happy with me when I was happy, and be angry with me when I was angry. You always encouraged the consumption of some sort of dessert when I was having a rough day, and for that I truly do thank you. We broke the rules together, and we got caught together. We laughed about the predicament of our lives when no one else understood. We have countless inside jokes that will forever live on; you understand my humor and you can make me laugh like no one else.

You encouraged me, you loved me well, never letting me settle for staying in the same stagnant place in my life. You challenged me to grow. You never looked at our differences as something to be negative or drive us from each other, but instead you embraced them. You challenged yourself to meet me where I was at and you gave me chance after chance to meet me where you were. You didn’t let me stay comfortable, you made me go to that social gathering and socialize with too many people I didn’t know. You encouraged me to be the confident person I am today.

Your families took me in as their own. They made dinner for me, sometimes multiple nights in a row. They invited me to family gatherings and took me on family vacations. They asked about my life and cared about me deeply. They came to my events and cheered me on. They welcomed me into their home time after time and never questioned why I was there even if none of you were home. And for all that I thank them as well.

You were in the little things. You were there for all the high school football games, all those late night food runs, sleepovers that consisted of no sleep. The car rides filled with obnoxiously loud singing of Beyoncé, the awkward events we attended that we look back on and think, “Why?”, and the game nights that usually got out of hand. We lived life together, the small parts of life, the big parts of life, the traveling to the store, and the traveling across the country. And for that I cherish you greatly. I cherish your friendship and the person you have become through all of these things we have experienced and gone through together. I cherish the memories and the pictures and the stories that we share. All in all, I cherish you. In the same way you have seen all of me, I have seen all of what makes up you. You are beautiful people inside and out, and I could not be more grateful to call you friend.