The love for your best friend is unlike any love you'll ever experience. It's the first proof you have that love is not just familial or romantic in nature. Love is much more complex than that; love is not a noun, it is an action.

I met my best friend 10 years ago in the fourth grade. She was this tough little thing with a pigeon-toed walk and her head held high at all times, no matter who was looking. Admittedly, she was a little intimidating, especially to me, the new kid. But it took less than a day to see that she was just as human as anyone else I'd ever met. It took less than a week for me to be more comfortable in her presence than I had ever been in another person's. She had this aura about her, the kind that made you want to hold your head high too. And for the first time, it felt natural to do so.

I hadn't ever given much thought to soulmates before meeting her, but being friends with her made me believe in them. We both made other friends, even other best friends, but we were inseparable no matter what. Our friendship was, and is, something unbreakable. That became my definition of soulmates: not someone with whom I would spend the rest of my life with, but a person who I knew would always come back. It didn't have to mean we were in love; we simply loved each other, not like sisters, but as friends.

I know that doesn't make sense, that a soulmate doesn't have to be a boyfriend or girlfriend, husband or wife. A bond that strong is too much for just friends. But it isn't. And if you've had a best friend, you know what I mean.

I love myself more because of her too. She made me better, stronger. I grew into myself in a way I don't think I would have if it wasn't for her. I am far from perfect, and so is she. But I'm secure in my own skin and feelings. Part of that is just growing up, I know, but no small part of it is due to my best friend.

The best part of learning so much about love from my best friend? It's knowing that I taught her just as much about it. Our lives will forever be intertwined because, in these ten years, we learned more from each other than we could have otherwise. We learned how to love ourselves, and how to love others.

A few days ago, she graduated as a combat medic in the army, and I am so beyond proud of her. Her life has taken a wildly different direction than my own, but I know I will never lose her. We are going to be best friends for the rest of our lives. I truly believe that.

I love you, Kaylee.