Ladies,

In learning about you, each characteristic, every mannerism and idiosyncrasy, I’ve have begun to find my own. People love to ask the question Who am I? and if those people asked me, I’d just tell them to look around. Turn left, turn right, there’s your answer. The people you surround yourself with are who you are. Your truest self is who you are in the eyes of your friends, your voluntary family, people who stick by you just because they care.

The strong women I see when I look over my shoulders have shaped the way I see the world I live in and how I fit into it. I am no longer a timid girl wondering where in the world she belongs, bold enough to have her own voice but not brave enough to share it. So this is more of a thank you than anything else. For times of tears turned into laughter, boredom into memories, and all of the moments in between that have tied me to you.

My dearest gals, as you go on to be the women you were meant to be, remember all the girls that watched your painful growth and beautiful friendships, and know you have helped us grow too. Hannah, Jessa, Marnie, and Shosh, you’ll always be my girls, and I’ll miss you more than you know. The glow of your faces on my TV screen, lighting up the world with raw truths and vulgar jokes. Hanging out for hours on end, laughing about things as trivial as men, I'll miss all of it. Thank you for emerging into these revolutionary roles, for being the fearless and realest characters to grace this world, for encapsulating the truest 21^st century woman. Thank you for getting jobs you hate, quitting them, and having to live off of cereal. For having less than perfect relationships but remembering that a Robyn dance party can mend any broken heart. For redefining what it means to be limitless. Thank you for laughing, for crying, for being un-apologetically you and reminding the rest of us that not knowing is the perfect answer. More importantly, we are grateful for 5 seasons of watching women who at their very core, love each other unconditionally. That kind of friend, that kind of soul mate, is the sincerest connection we can offer another. Thank you for showing us all that the most powerful way to love is the way we love a friend. We love you just the same.

Thanks, girls!

In perpetuity,

Amanda

Be sure to catch the sixth and final season of Girls airing in 2017 on HBO; as expected, I will be crying for every second of it.