Bad days — we all have them. Days where it seems like the world is against us and every little thing feel like a personal attack. Days when the little things continue to pile up, higher and higher until it feels like there’s nothing that can be done to stop it.

Everyone has their own dark moments, their own flaws or imperfections that lower self-esteem and can dull even the brightest of days. Everyone feels overwhelmed or anxious or sad for their own personal reasons. Everyone has gloomy, negative, moody days. Everyone has something that bothers them and can change them into a person they do not want to be.

Relationships need work. Relationships go through bad days, but a strong relationship needs two people that embrace each other’s past, supports their present, and loves each other enough to encourage a strong future. But it requires work, there are endless dark days.

So this is an opportunity to thank the person in your life who accepts those darkest days and loves you regardless. It’s important to thank the one that knows your heart inside and out and loves both the shiny and broken pieces.

Thank you for understanding. Whether you truly understand or not, thank you for all of the listening and the comforting even when even I don’t understand what’s wrong.

Thank you for accepting. Thank you for accepting the flaws, the mistakes, the imperfections and the weaknesses. Thank you for not taking advantage of the insecurities and the uncertainty and accepting every part of me.

Thank you for refusing to give up on me. It’s hard sometimes; every relationship has its endless beautiful moments but it can also have painful moments. Thanks to you I fall asleep every night feeling loved, appreciated, and valued.

Thank you for seeing perfection in my imperfections. Knowing that I have someone out there that loves every inch of me—the good, the bad, and the ugly—is the most comforting feeling.

Perfect people truly do not exist, and although I have dark days, those weak moments make me who I am. Love is all-seeing and accepting. Whether it’s a bad habit, a fear, or an insecurity, unconditional love looks past the challenging and painful moments. Love isn’t fragile, it’s strong and continues to strengthen with every dark day.

So thank you. I can’t put into words the appreciation I have for you. I don’t tell you or show you enough, but I don’t know what I would do without you. I promise to understand your bad days, to accept your flaws, and I refuse to give up on you. When I look at you, I see perfection. I see a genuinely beautiful soul, and I promise to love you the way you love me. When I see your imperfections, I see you perfectly.

So yes, relationships need work. They can hurt on those bad days, but the bright days are infinite in comparison, and the love I have for you makes every tough moment completely worth it.