To the goddesses of Fourth Hill,

Thank you.

Thank you for welcoming me into your life with open arms. You made the transition from high school to college that much easier.

Thank you for always having floor dinners. I haven’t had family dinner at my house for a long time, so it’s nice to get together with everyone after a long, stressful day and talk about what’s going on in our lives.

Thank you for always offering your supply of pain meds, heating pads, and tampons as soon as I get my period (and thank you to the kind soul who buys my snacks for when the blood is a flowin’)

Thank you for constantly checking in on me to make sure that I’m okay, and for genuinely being concerned when I’m not.

Thank you for putting everything aside and letting me externally process with you. It’s helped me stay calm through the last couple of months.

Thank you for having dance parties and encouraging me to be my best self and to love every inch of my body.

Thank you for accepting and understanding my beliefs. I know that they’re vastly different from some of yours, but you guys have shown me that there are Christians out there that won’t attack me for what I believe in. You guys have no idea how good it felt to come into an environment where I was accepted and not bombarded with questions.

Thank you for having the courage to share your life stories. I love hearing them. It gives me a glimpse into your life and your soul and why you are who you are.

Thank you for late night adventures to new places. I’ve done things I’d never thought I’d do because you guys dragged me to go and do them (and, yes, I’ve had fun doing every single activity).

Thank you for giving me the advice that I not only want, but the advice that I need (and thanks for hating most of the people that I hate...you know the floor I’m talking about).

And, finally, thank you for loving me. You have somehow become a mix between my mom and my best friend, and I will forever be grateful for that during this transition.

I love you,

Emma