When you and your partner aren't always around each other or constantly in communication, it's easy to overlook the small details that your partner does for you to make your lives and your relationship better. So take some time out of your day to say thank you, because being in a long-distance relationship is hard enough. They deserve a little recognition for everything they do!

1. Thank you for the sacrifices you make. I know how much better life would be if you had your significant other physically with you each day, how much more exciting it would be to experience college life together all of the time and how it’s 100 times easier to communicate in person rather than over the phone. And I know this is just plain hard. So thank you for sacrificing an easy relationship to be with me.

2. Thank you for finding any way to come visit me. Whether it is by bus, train, plane or car, you always find a way to spend a few weekends with me every semester. Those tickets aren’t cheap and gas isn’t either, so thank you for deeming that an acceptable expense to be spent on us. Also, I know sitting for hours on end on your way to visit is not ideal, so thank you for enduring that painful ride here.

3. Thank you for realizing there are times I need to be selfish. College is a time when it is really important to be selfish. This is when we are figuring out the future of our careers and that is an insanely significant feat to conquer. And college is also very, very hard – the amount of work needed for every individual class takes up almost every second of my spare time. So thank you for realizing that some days I’m going to have an enormous amount of work to do and that I’m going to need to take a break from talking to you for a few hours. Taking time to buckle down and focus on my schoolwork is very important; let’s face it, you’re an amazing distraction, but sometimes there isn’t time for distractions.

4. Thank you for realizing that I need to balance my time. When everyone is home for breaks all at once, it’s really hard to balance seeing all of my friends, spending enough quality time with my family and seeing you. So thank you for realizing that I’m only here for a limited amount of time and that it is important for me to see everybody. As much as I would love to spend every second of every day with you, I can’t neglect my other relationships. It is really tricky to manage, so thank you for making the process as painless as possible.

5. Thank you for staying faithful. We all know those long-distance couples that didn’t last because one of them got a little too excited by all of their new freedom and chose not to remain faithful. Not that I ever believed you would cheat in any way, shape or form; it’s just nice to know that you could’ve been like so many of those other couples and you’re choosing to stick with me.

6. Thank you for committing so much time and energy to our relationship. Oh, long-distance relationships are not very fun when you’re not together, and I know that more than anyone, so thank you for putting all of the added effort into keeping this thing alive. It’s nice to know that I’m worth a little extra effort and it’s nice to remind you that you are too. Thank you!