Dear best friend,

We’ve written a lot of letters over the years. We’ve passed notes in class and written epistles about pretty much everything under the sun. But this letter is special:

I need you to know that you’ve changed my life.

From strongly disliking each other freshman year to being inseparable best friends junior year — we’ve come a long way together. Junior year was full of drama. Senior year was full of heartache. This last year was full of changes. You’ve seen me heartbroken, angry, confused, unwilling to listen. You’ve seen me when I’m a crazy mess.

And yet you’re still right here.

I remember a certain conversation. It was October of our senior year, and we were sitting in my car in the parking lot of our favorite Thai place in Bothell. My birthday was earlier that week. And I was crying because I knew it was the last birthday I’d get a letter from my grandma.

It was a small thing, but you didn’t tell me I was being silly. You told me that it’s OK for the little things to matter. You told me about the last Christmas with your grandpa. You sat there and cried with me. You sat there and prayed for me.

I’ve never told you this, but that conversation meant the complete world to me.

You also laugh with me. We’ve made so many memories together: camp counseling, kidnapping friends, eating crazy amounts of pad thai, drinking tea and playing piano in Mrs. Raynor’s class, getting caught passing notes by Mr. Stevens, staying up late watching “My Big Fat Greek Wedding,” fangirling over Captain America and singing One Direction songs at midnight in your car just because we could. You kept me smiling even when I thought I’d forgotten how.

Neither of our lives have exactly been a walk in the park. I’ve watched you fight battles I can’t even imagine. And you’ve helped me win battles you didn’t even know I was fighting. All those lunches we spent hiding in the band room, singing and playing piano – some days, that half hour gave me the strength I couldn’t find on my own.

I’m so thankful you’re alive. Your life has absolutely changed mine. You’ve helped me survive the lessons I had to learn the hard way. You’ve helped me learn that relationships fail without trust. You’ve pushed me to stand up for myself when people have tried to take advantage of me. You’ve been honest with me when I’ve been too scared to fix my problems.

We’ve grown and changed a lot over the years. I’ve done things I’m not proud of. I’ve ignored your advice (I mean, to be fair, you’ve ignored mine too). I’ve been upset at you when we’ve both made dumb mistakes. And I’m sorry for that.

But, even though we’ve both changed, there are some things that haven’t changed at all: 1. God is still good, and 2. you’re still my best friend.

I’m thankful you’re still here. I’m thankful you’re still my best friend. I’m thankful that, even when everything in your life was changing, you didn’t shut me out. Thank you for not pressuring me to find a boyfriend ASAP. Thank you for showing me that it’s possible to keep your faith even when life is imploding. Thank you for driving four hours to visit me at college. Thank you for listening to me attempt to explain my fears when nothing makes sense to me. Thank you for being honest with me. Thank you for loving me when I when I didn't love myself.

Thank you for not leaving me even when I was being crazy. Thank you for not leaving even when I gave advice you didn’t want to hear. Thank you for reminding me that “best friend” isn’t a label, but a promise. A promise to never leave.

I love you most, baby doll.