When we were in the third grade, we usually had a new best friend each week. When we were middle school, our best friends began to slowly emerge. When we were in high school, we may have lost a best friend or gained a new one. And by the time we reach college, we really find out who our best friend is and what exactly makes them that person.

I have been fortunate enough to have kept the same four best friends all the way through to the college years and even more fortunate to have gained a few more along the way.

Some may disagree and say you can only have one best friend, but I find having more than one best friends is better anyways. The more the merrier!

Each of these friends has impacted my life in a way that has made me realize how truly grateful I am for each and every one of them. To be a best friend means being able to impact each other's lives in a way that makes us all the more thankful to have them in our lives.

One of my best friends has always been the first to cheer me up when I was down.

Another one of them has told me the truth no matter how much I hated it.

The next best friend reminds me to let loose every once in a while and remember that life doesn't always have to be so serious.

My other best friend does the best at lending an ear when I just need to let it out and vent.

These aren't even all of them, but just to give you an idea of qualities of a best friend, I thought those might help.

Honesty, humor, trust, compassion, love, kindness, patience, understanding and the willingness to put each other ahead of the other in times of need are all crucial qualities that will most definitely tell you if you have a keeper on your hands or not.

The friends I have in my life have been there for me through the toughest of times and the happiest of times, all the while reminding me how amazingly thankful I am to have them in my life.

Without one of my friend's harsh honesty, I may have lost some of the people I love most in my life.

Without a friend refusing to leave me alone when I insisted that all I wanted was space when I was going through a rough patch, I may have never come out of that rough patch.

I guess all I really want you to know by reading this article is to please realize the gems that have been placed in your life. Don't take for granted the memories and moments that will last you a life time. Be there for each other when the big stuff happens, and when the little stuff happens.

Best friends were given to us to fill in the cracks where we can't seem to fill on our own.

To my best friends reading this, I love you dearly and I have no idea where I would be without you all.