Hi friends, I hope you all are well. I am writing to you, just to let you know how thankful I am for you. How proud I am to call you my close friends and how excited I get to flaunt you all to the world and claim you as a friend. Because trust me some people are actually jealous that I am so close to you all and they are not. I truly have the greatest friends in the world, do not argue with me because you do not know them.

Now I know you all expect me to sit here and shout you all out but realistically I am not going to do that because one, too many people will get booty hurt and two, a lot of you already have huge egos and I do not need to boost that for you via the Internet. Some of you I have known since childhood, middle school, or I have known you since the start of 2016. Nonetheless, you are all individually treasured to me.

The end of 2014 is when I met most of you or got closer to you and ever since then I have formed and lost so many friendships that I cannot even count anymore, some people consider it kind of sad but for myself it is a blessing. There is a cliche saying that, “In life you never lose friends, you just find out who your real ones are” and I laugh at it so much. Only because it is so basic to me and full on ridiculous but at the end of the day it is true. I always get made fun of for calling a thousand and one people my best friends but in reality, I am close to a lot of people for so many different reasons. Each and every single friend that I am close to I hold dear to my heart, there are memories that I am so grateful for. And after losing friends because of so many exterior forces and disagreements, the friends I still have I am so grateful for. I am a strong believer in being friends with people if it is a real friendship, realistically speaking I do not care about loose ended friendships, they have nothing to offer me and I do not like having to pretend to care about your life if I actually do not. Nor do I care to be friends with someone that I cannot trust, and no, I will not be fake with you. So you are either my friend or just a being in my presence.

Back to where I started. My friends, I love you all. And no words could ever really be said for you guys to know how grateful I am for you and how I feel more blessed than any other person out there. For someone as melodramatic and sarcastic and shade throwing as I am, it is honestly a surprise that you guys have been able to put up with me the way that you have. And for all the times that I go around saying I have no friends, you have showed me the meaning of friendship. I am lucky for you guys, for always keeping me in check, and making sure I remember the person that I am. I am thankful because I have learned that I can literally call you guys, and blow up your phones at any given moment in the day or night. Thank you for letting me cry to you nonstop and not saying anything. Thank you for taking me out and making sure I am happy when I need it and letting me stay at home, alone in despair when I needed it as well.

For those of you who have seen sides of me that no one else will, thank you for staying. Thank you for picking me up when I was down and bringing me down when I needed to kill parts of my ego. Thank you for being the most inspirational people and the most motivating. I can honestly and wholeheartedly say that it is because of you guys, that I have pushed myself to be a better person day in and day out. You have made me love and appreciate parts of the world I never knew existed. You have taught me to not only love myself as a person and value myself but you have taught me to spread love to others. You, my friends, have sparked a selflessness inside of me and have opened up a part of my heart that overjoys with philanthropy and giving back. You guys have reminded me to never settle for anything less than what I deserve and when I do end up settling you guys are there when I have to start all over. When I am depressed, instead of walking away and seeing me as too much to handle you help me regain the person that I am. Instead of walking away when all I do is talk, talk, talk, talk, talk and complain you have sat there patiently and listened until it is out of my system. You have stayed -- you have been a friend to me.

It is because of you guys that I want to use my passion for writing to try and make a difference in the world. The people that you guys are to me is what I wish to be for others. To be a friend without expecting anything in return, and to help people rise from the ashes when they are so low. It is you guys who made me find goals for myself, dreams and aspirations. You guys are the ones that have educated me and kept me eager to learn more. You have taught me that it is not "Danna's World," you have popped my bubble and showed me what there is to the world. You are the friends that sparked my curiosity and genuine need to always want to learn more about this beautiful world. It is also you guys that have been my harshest critics only so that I can be a better version of myself and learn from my mistakes. You are the same ones who have reminded me time and time again that sometimes things will not go my way as stubborn as I may get, and you have allowed me to understand that these situations are for the best.

I wish I could sit here and list all of my blessings. Sit here and let you guys know how much our memories mean to me and how much you have all shaped me. I want to thank you guys for never giving up on me because I know it is not easy. I know I can be a handful and a mess but for some reason, for which I will never understand you guys have stuck by my side and I want to reassure you all how much I appreciate it. Thank you for all the times you have given me advice. Thank you for being friends with the girl that has more anxiety attacks and attitude changes on a daily basis than the average person in a year. Thank you for being my friend even when you did not know you were being one. Also, try not to freak out or get overwhelmed because even if I do not call you a best friend out loud, you are one in my book, the second you let me pour my heart out to you and are completely judge free.

And if I never tell you enough, or if I tell you too much. I will say it again. I love you and I thank you for being my friend. For all the times that I run after you and hug you all and drown you in affection or neediness it is because you guys have showed me comfort and security that I will never be able to find anywhere else. And for the times that I am dry and cold with you all it is because I do not have a way to let my love for you shine as much as I feel it on the inside. My collegiate career although unfinished has been a beautiful experience because of these individuals that have touched my soul. As friendships are gained and some are lost; each and every single one of you, it seems like I am talking about like 700 people, but you know who you are; have made me, me. If you ever need a friend, I hope you all see one in me the way I do in you. Because whether I talk to you every single day, or once in a blue moon I have nothing but love for you. It is a handful of you that have introduced me to even more beautiful people and it feels like this huge circle of friends is finally complete and perfect. You have not judged me for my ways, you have accepted me for me. You have not once turned your back against me and slandered me, instead you have just made me grow. Something that is so unbelievably rare. I thank you.

Your friend always,

Danna Samhan