This past year so much has changed; our whole lives. We graduated from high school and enjoyed one last summer of freedom before college. You decided to stay in Michigan and pursue your dreams, while I moved eight hundred miles away to chase mine. We were in two completely different cities, made new friends, and tried to find ourselves, away from everything we once knew for the first time. I was afraid that the distance would drive us apart, that being so far away from each other would inevitably end a friendship that I held most dear. I was worried you would find new, more interesting people in a place far more interesting than the town we grew up in. Thankfully that didn't happen. Instead, we became so much closer than we had ever been. We FaceTimed all the time and talked about our different schools and the new people we had met. We talked about the stress of college, of papers. Of how much we missed home, of how much we missed each other. We laughed and we cried.
Without you, I would have been completely lost this year. So thank you.
Thank you for not forgetting about me, even when I was 800 miles away. Thank you for always believing in me unconditionally, especially in the moments I doubted myself the most. Thank you for always checking up on me, making sure I was okay. Thank you for letting me rant freely, and thank you for your rants, which you know I love. Thank you for letting me in. Thank you for letting us experience college together, even when we aren't together. Thank you for always giving me reasons to keep pushing through all the stress and anxiety and homesickness.
Thank you for letting me complain to you about my dinning hall food and the annoyances of Boston public transit. Thank you for always sharing my excitement over small things. Thank you for teaching me how to be strong. Thank you for showing me what it means to be brave. Thank you for always keeping me grounded. Thank you for your humor and for making me laugh, always. Thank you for your empathy and kindness; both of which are beyond measure. Thank you for being someone I know I can always trust and confide in. Thank you for always reminding me of home. Thank you for all your texts and calls. I can't express how much it meant to me every time I would get a random text from you. It made an unfamiliar world a little more familiar and warm, so thank you for never forgetting about my existence, even if I was so far away — because I never forgot about yours.
I don't think it's possible to express how thankful I am for you. Despite this, somehow you still manage to doubt your self worth and undermine yourself at every opportunity you get, which breaks my heart. I wish that you knew how much you mean to me, which is inexpressible amount. I wish you knew how much I look up to you and how much of an impact you've had on me. I wish you knew how smart you are and how much I believe in your ability to succeed. As afraid as I am for my future, I'm not afraid for yours because I know that for you, even the sky isn't the limit. I wish you knew how beautiful you are and how that is just one aspect of you. I wish you knew how worthy you are and how you deserve nothing but the very best in every aspect of your life. I wish you knew how highly I think of you and how, in countless minds, no one can possibly compare to you for a multitude of very convincing reasons. I wish you knew that you deserve, and one day, will receive, all the love in the world. I wish you knew that I can't wait to see you shine so bright.
I wish you knew how badly I want to see you accept a compliment, a thank you with no hesitation, even though I know that will probably never happen. I wish I could make you see yourself the way I see you, because maybe then, you would finally give yourself the credit you so desperately deserve. Until then, I will step up and give you that credit, because you deserve it, more so than anyone else I know.
I love you. So much.