Dear Best Friend,

Let me start off by simply saying thank you. Thank you for being the kind, caring, beautiful soul that you are. Now, I want you to know why I'm writing this letter to you. You are so important to me. Of course, you know this already, but I want to tell you again. I honestly could not imagine my life without you.

I think back to sixth grade, when we were both short and nerdy; you had glasses, and I had braces. We were the definition of middle school. Thank you, best friend, for sitting with me at the lunch tables in seventh grade when nobody else would. Thank you for helping me not worry about the opinions of all of the other kids and being a complete dork with me. We didn't even know at the time, but we were forming a relationship that would last a lifetime.

Then high school came. Thank you for all of high school. High school is a weird time, filled with unbelievable amounts of drama and stress. I don't know if I would have survived without you. You were the one person that I could not get sick of. Every Wednesday night at your house, seeing you at church on Sundays, and 7 hours of death every single weekday. And our bond just became stronger. Thank you for being the one stable thing during that four years and for being an encouragement every week.

Thank you for Sonic trips and jam sessions. Thank you for listening to me rant about the stars at random times. Thank you for the nights when we'd lay in bed and talk about things that really mattered (and sometimes things that didn't matter at all) until we fell asleep mid-conversation. Thank you for tears and hugs and laughs. Thank you for awkward conversations and embarrassing moments.

And now, college. Thank you for college. You're hours away from me, and I long for those days when we'd spend literally almost every day together. During the summer, four days without you was just too much. That saying that distance makes the heart grow fonder? It's so true. I live for the moments when we finally get to see each other, and it's no different from how things were before. Thank you for showing me that if we can withstand being hours away from each other for months at a time, our friendship can withstand anything. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to make new friends and grow separately from you (because it's a good reminder that going to different schools can be a good thing). Thank you for letting me know that you are happy where you are. Thank you for still always being there for me when I need you. You're still the same best friend that I've always had. And for that, I thank you.

Thank you for ripping me out of my comfort zone and pushing me to reach out to others. Thank you for giving me new worldviews and challenging my thoughts. Thank you for being a role model in my life and an inspiration to me. Thank you for helping me grow as a person.

But most of all, thank you for helping me grow in my faith, and thank you for growing with me. Thank you for the incredible Christian example you've been. Thank you for bible studies and prayers. Thank you for asking questions and answering mine. Thank you for showing me the love of God and encouraging me to show others.

Thank you for all that you are and all that you mean to me.

Thank you,

Your Best Friend