Dear Friends,

Thank you for putting up with me every minute of every hour of every day, even when I know it wasn’t the easiest—when I wasn’t the easiest. Thank you for listening to my rambles, for allowing me to drag you to my latest favorite restaurant and for telling me it was time to leave Sephora.

I never sat down to really tell you all how I feel, but as I grow older I realize the importance and significance of each and every one of you. Over the years, friends have come and gone, and some have stuck it through since the beginning. I picked up some wonderful ones since coming to college and lost some I thought I never would.

Some of you have watched me grow since my elementary school days, when I thought Goucher pants and Vans were the latest style and that Elvis was my one true musical inspiration. Others have gotten the pleasure of getting to know me since I have grown out of those phases, but accept me nonetheless.

Getting older hasn’t been easy and hasn’t been fun, but thank you for never leaving. I will always appreciate that no matter where I go I know that I will always have you there by my side for when things become just a little too much.

I am not perfect, nor do I try to be.

I will be the first to admit this fact, and that I have inevitably made some mistakes along the way. There were some fights that were started that didn’t need to be had, and there are some things that were said that could have been left unsaid.

To those I may have hurt or disappointed: you know who you are.

I love you, and from the bottom of my heart I apologize that I may have caused you any pain. I may be imperfect and flawed but I am not malicious. I miss you, and although there may be a silent understanding that we are not talking or friends—that couldn’t be further from the truth. I am here, and always will be.

The older I become, the more I learn that your friends are some of the most important people in your life. As you grow up and move away from your home and your family, the friends you keep and the ones you make along the way, are some of the most defining people in your life.

The singular reason I gave my college a second chance for the spring semester of my freshman year, was because of the wonderful people I met along the way—and it continues to be one of the main reasons I’m still at the school.

I don’t let very many people in, and tell even less of those people my problems, because they’re mine, and I don’t to burden anyone with those, even though I’m beginning to understand that sort of defeats the purpose of having friends.

But regardless, just because I may not reach out to each and every one of you everyday, and maybe months go by where we don’t see each other or we don’t talk, time and distance will never define my friendships, nor diminish them.

Each of you have found your way into my life for a reason, and I am so thankful for it. Whether you know it or not, you are each so inspirational and have pushed me to become a better person—I can only hope that one day I can repay you all for everything you’ve given me.