I always have trouble writing beginnings. Sometimes there isn’t a perfect way to start an article, a letter, or a story. Some beginnings take days to complete, when every word needs to be thought out carefully before a sentence can appear. Some beginnings come out just right after being written once. But once in a while, a beginning appears out of nowhere and turns into something beautiful. Like the most meaningful friendships.

We all have friendships throughout our lifetime: some for a short period of time, and others for our entire lives. We have our best friends, our school friends, our work friends, family friends -- the list could go on forever. One of the most important friendships in our lifetime, however, is the group friendship. Your squad. Your group, your posse, your troop, your buds, your numerous other synonyms to describe the people with whom you decided to associate.

These are your people. These are your true-blue friends with whom you experience life and who are a part of some of your most important moments. These are the people who make you a better person and who share your dreams, hopes, fears, and secrets with. They are the ones who brighten your day and encourage you to be the best person you can be.

You might exactly remember how your squad came to be, or you might be like my high school squad, whose friendship started as acquaintances blending together on that first day of freshman year. As four years went by, our group whittled down from 25 to nine. Our friendship didn’t have a solid beginning; even now our memories of how we met each other are blurred. One day we were strangers who sort of knew each other, then the next we felt like friends who had known each other for years. But however this phenomenon happened, I’m glad it did. I couldn’t imagine my life without these important people.

My squad means the world to me. They made my high school experience amazing and helped shape me into the tiny, mighty, confident woman I am today. So, Sharkbait Tribe (yes, we did name ourselves this. It was sophomore year; we were still a little immature. I am sure your squad has a name as well), this is a letter to thank you for the past five years of our friendship.

Thank you for befriending me in the first place. You smiled at me, introduced yourselves, and were interested in who I was as a person and in what I had to say. You laughed at my remarks and jokes and related to the stories that I told. You were excited when I enjoyed something you liked as well, and you took the time to get to know me and understand me wholly. We walked to class together and sat by each other. We had wonderful times in our favorite classes and helped each other through the worst ones. Some of our best moments were when we ate together; the merriment on our faces as we updated each other about our lives are some of my favorite memories of you.

Thank you for bringing joy, happiness, and laughter to me every day. I appreciate it when you tell me the weird dream you had last night, or the funny cat video you share to my Facebook wall, or the small gift you make me for my birthday; it may not seem like a big deal, but it means the world to me. You guys always know how to make me laugh and how to appreciate the big and small aspects of life.

Thank you for our adventures, both big and small. You plan big, fun activities for the group to do, from road tripping to the nearest big city to going to an amusement park. Thank you for the spontaneous adventures, when the gas tank is full and the roads are open for us to explore (such as finding creepy houses and small water towers for us to climb on). And thank you, as well, for the small adventures; for being available to run to Target with me, or to hang out at someone’s house and marathon our favorite TV show on Netflix. All these moments are experiences that we shared together, where we strengthened our friendship and saw the many possibilities of life.

Thank you for being passionate. Your persistence to achieve your dreams, whether seemingly impossible or not, inspire me to pursue my own. You all motivated me and encouraged me to do my schoolwork, to try out for that play, or to ace that presentation. You always compliment me and support my talents. This has only made me more confident with my abilities.

Thank you for your willingness to learn and forgive. Sometimes we have small, silly arguments that we can laugh about later, such as which Marvel superhero is the best or who gets shotgun for our next adventure. But sometimes we actually get into serious arguments that only end with hurt feelings on both sides. Thank you for showing me how to forgive and apologize, but for also owning up for your actions as well. We all learn from our mistakes and move on, creating a stronger bond between us.

And lastly, thank you for being the kind, compassionate people you are. You always treat me with the utmost generosity. You cheer for my triumphs, you motivate me when I’m feeling bad about myself and you comfort me when I’m sad and going through some of the toughest moments. You make me feel valued, worthy, and loved. You guys would move the mountains, the entire world for me if I asked. And I would do the same for you.

Thank you, squad, for being the most important people in my life. You have changed me for the better and I am eternally grateful for your friendship. Whether we are near or far, you all will always be with me. We are so lucky to have a dynamic group of people who love and respect each other. As the years go on, I can only see our friendship becoming better and more meaningful.

You all are like my family, and I will never forget all the wonderful times we have had together. And as famously said in “Lilo and Stitch, “Ohana means family. Family means no one gets left behind, or forgotten.”