I always hoped we were a lifetime type of friendship, friends who would be by each others' sides (or a phone call away) for the rest of our lives. You were, to put it simply, my person. Unfortunately, just like the seasons, our friendship began to change. And I truly believe that just like summer turning to winter, it was out of our control. It was a natural event bound to occur.

This isn't easy to accept. You know more than anyone how much I believe that what you get out of something is a direct result of what you put into it. But sometimes, life has a greater plan than we can see, and this is a prime example.

As our friendship began to change, I thought maybe we could put a stop to it. But all this did was push us even further away. You can't stop a person from changing into who they are truly meant to be any more than you can stop the world from spinning.

And this, without a doubt, led to tension, anger and frustration. It turned what was one of the best friendships I had ever had into more stress than either of us needed.

We both knew how different our paths were before we met; our ways of living were as opposite as numbers are to letters. And yet, I still remember that late night (or was it early morning?) heart-to-heart about how amazing it was that, even though we grew up in completely different environments, we ended up in the exact same spot at the exact same time. It was so hard to wrap our minds around the fact that two people with two different family lives, time zones, past experiences and ways of working through challenges could naturally become best friends.

I'm not sure what it was that led us to each other, but I'm so very grateful that it did. For the times that our paths crossed and for the times that our lives intertwined with one other, I will always look back and smile.

I'd be lying if I did not admit how much I wish our paths connected just a little bit longer, but I also have faith in the fact that everything will work out exactly as it should. Just like our pasts were very truly quite different, our hopes and dreams for the future were also the opposite.

While our "best friend forever" relationship may not have lasted for the "forever" we had hoped, I know that the season we had will always be a season with a reason. It was through our friendship that I was challenged to think outside of my typical way of thinking, and I hope the same was true for you. I learned more about myself and who I want to be through you, and for that, I will always be thankful.

Thank you for being the best seasonal friend to me. Thank you for helping me step outside of my comfort zone. Thank you for listening to my craziest dreams and for calming my biggest fears. And thanks for all the countless memories and silly pictures. They all still make me smile.

And even if our friendship didn't end with a "happily ever after," I hope the lessons learned and memories shared were as valuable to you as they were to me.