To the blood-related family that knows they're significant in my life,

You are troopers, I mean really. To know me my whole life and still feel inclined to stick around, you are either hoping one day I leave you alone, hoping I become successful, so you can reap the benefits or you truly love me (hopefully this is the reason!). We have come a long way since I was little, and I thank you for loving me unconditionally through it all.

To those of you that have lived far away from me all of my life yet still made it a point to stay relevant in my upbringing and growth as an individual, I cannot express how much those occasional phone calls have truly impacted me. I have a very limited blood-related family circle so thank you for still thinking of me even though you aren't always around.

It goes to show that when you genuinely care about someone, the "out of sight, out of mind" mentality is invalid. If you feel that this body of the text relates to you, then you are aware of the fact that being relevant in my life is a two-way street. Thank you for hanging around to watch me grow, I am excited to see what the future has in store for us!

Love,

Your Favorite Relative

To those of you that aren't blood-related to me but have been there for it all,

You are the definition of "bona fide"; you know who you are. Thank you for giving me an example of the type of person I aspire to be. Caring for someone so profoundly, that isn't even your own blood. You have taught me that family is not defined by genetics, but by love. I appreciate that you have chosen to be a staple in my life being aware of all my flaws.

You are my village and have provided me with the experience of truly being loved, and I would not be where I am if it wasn't for you. Growing up surrounded by so many people like you have forced me to be who I am today; it has instilled a sense of loyalty and community in my persona affecting the new relationships I form with people in this new chapter of my life.

Being far from home and still feel your love is the reason I go through my day to day life with security and confidence in my worth, for I have been reminded of it by you incessantly. Not everyone is fortunate enough to create such strong bonds with individuals over a lifetime, therefore I say that I am truly blessed to make multiple within the first eighteen years of my life.

Love,

Your Unofficial Child/Sibling

To the one, I am going to grow old with,

You are a ride or die kind of person; we have experienced a lot in life, but one of the few constant things is that we were there for each other. I have known you for 14 years now and our families have become friends because of it. I am in New York and you are in Florida and we still manage to be there for each other; we don't have to talk every day to know that we are there for each other.

We are not friends anymore, we are family and it has been like that for 12 years! When we met in kindergarten we immediately clicked, I am pretty sure we were best friends from the day we met. We are so different in some ways, yet so similar in others. I have watched you grow into this beautiful individual, and I am extremely proud of who you have become.

Throughout our lives, you have heard me yapping about these ambitious goals of mine and never questioned one of them. From aspiring to attend a high school that only accepts 10% of their applicants, to going to college in New York, you and your family supported me through it all. Without you and your indefatigable support, you have provided me with, things would have probably resulted differently.

I am taken back by how fortunate I am to have met such a key character in my life at such a young age, for it has led to fruitful experiences. When we were younger, we lived in our own world; we were normal and everyone else was crazy. Conducting lives being unapologetically ourselves from a young age, we truly pushed the social boundaries for little girls and what was expected of us.

Outspoken, extroverted and nontraditional are all understatements for what we were. Castigated for our colorful language and sanctimonious way of being at a ripe age in comparison to the personalities of our peers, we kept things interesting for our parents. They NEVER knew what to expect from either of us and I am sure they wouldn't have it any other way.

All in all, thanks for sticking around, you can't go anywhere now; hopefully, your speech at the next major milestone of my life is a little better than it was at my 15^th Birthday party. I can't wait to grow old with you.

Love,

The 4^th child in your family