I want to start this out by saying thank you, and I love you. I would not be half the woman I am today; I would not be nearly as driven, careful, adventurous, or positive. You have quite literally saved my mind from single-handedly breaking itself down. You have stood by my side, time and time again, and I can trust you to do that in the years to come. There were days that I thought I would get so lost in my own terrible thoughts and that I would fall so far down before crashing into my own figurative end that I really did not think I would make it out. When I was drowning in my sorrow, drowning in my thoughts, drowning in my misery, and I thought there was no end in sight, it was dark and choppy for awhile there. Then I saw your hand reaching to pull me back up from the deep, deep blue, and I knew I would be bruised, but not broken. This is to you, you know who you are, and this is why I love you.

Thank you for loving me, too. Thank you for answering my cries for help at any time of the day. Thank you for showing up when nobody else would. Thank you for moving me back to my mom's after my first boyfriend left my heart in pieces. Thank you for talking to me, for listening to me, even when I repeat my sadness, my excitement, my happiness, and my worries, over and over. Thank you for taking me out for celebratory drinks when I got that job, for glowing in my happiness when I got back into school, and for being just as excited as I was when I brought home my car.

You have been my cheerleader, both silently and screaming from the rooftops. You have been my sidekick. You have been my partner in crime, and have let me follow you when I am lost. I have grown because I have you. I have flown because I have you! You inspire me to push my boundaries to get to the levels you have always known I could reach. You never hesitate to help me when I do not know the answer, and to help me find it if we are both at a loss. I am a better person because of you, I am a better person for you, and I promise to be a better person with you.

I cannot wait for you to stand by me at my college graduation. I will be honored when you stand by me at my wedding. I will sob when these things happen for you, because I love nothing more than to see your joy. I will cry with you when you experience heart break, and will move you back home, too. I will hold you when you are sad and dance with you when you are happy. We will binge on Netflix shows, we will binge on ice cream, we will binge on wine and beer. You are the most special piece in my life.

You are one of my soul mates. You are a partner I need in my life. You are always saving me, you are always distracting me, always rooting for me, and I have no doubt that I can count on you for life. A single "thank you" can never be enough, but I will always be grateful and I will always feel lucky. I will know that even when I feel lonely, I am not truly alone. I hope you feel the same way. My past is with you, my present could not happen without you, and you are a key to some of the doors in my future. You will show me new things, you will unlock parts of myself that I would not know without you, and even if I am terrified and nervous, you will hold my hand. I will fight for you forever, I will root for you, cry for you, stand by you, and save your sanity, too.