Thank you for being my best friend these past ten years.

It's somewhat of an overused phrase, but friends really do come and go. It's crazy to realize how many people we lose touch within our lifetimes. Sometimes the loss of a friend is really hard to get over; sometimes you don't even realize the friendship is gone until it hits you years later. Even though many of the friendships I've made over my lifetime have ended, they taught me a great deal — for better or for worse. I'm thankful for everyone in my life, whether I'm still close to them or not because I wouldn't be who I am today without their impact on my life.

But I truly believe there are some people who are meant to be your friends for life.

To think our friendship started when we were just awkward seventh-graders and now we're almost college graduates — and you're still the greatest friend I've ever had. Despite different schools and friend groups, we never lost touch, and we continued to grow together. Our friendship had only strengthened, despite everything. I don't think people are as lucky as you and I to find a friendship like ours.

Ten years of our friendship have taught me a lot about what kind of friend I want to be, and I think everyone should strive to be the kind of friend that you are.

You are the kind of person who gives your whole heart to someone, the kind of person who will stay up the entire night trying to comfort someone. You don't give up on your friends, even when they don't deserve your kindness. You give your strength to people who can't find their own. You forgive and forgive and forgive everyone, even the people who may not deserve it. You deserve the world for all you do.

Ten years of our friendship have taught me a lot, but the most significant realization is that I'm a really lucky person to have you in my life.

Thank you for teaching me what it means to be a friend.

Thank you for supporting me, for laughing with me, for crying with me and for never giving up on me. Thank you for the Target runs, for the random late-night drives, for listening to me complain about the toxic people in my life, for reassuring me about my worries. Thank you for your patience, your encouraging words, and most importantly, for the many laughs we've shared.

Thank you for a decade-long friendship. Thank you for being my forever friend.