You really had your work cut out for you.

Before you found me, I was a broken shell of myself - the cast off pieces of another relationship gone sour. I had myself convinced that I wasn't worthy of someone else's total love and attention because those that had come before you had me convinced to think that way. Each negative word or hurtful action committed against me had turned into a brick that built a wall of insecurity and self-doubt. After all, who could ever love a girl that wasn't good enough for someone else time and time again?

Then, you came along.

Like the most unexpected miracle, you tumbled, stumbled, skipped-tripped-and-fell into my life. After a few weeks of 21st century, oh-so-cliche Snapchat-ing and texting, I reluctantly chipped away at a few bricks and let you take me out on that first date; after all, what harm could it do? You would inevitably see all of the flaws all the others saw and phase yourself out of my life.

Luckily, I was wrong.

Persistent like a mid-winter cough, you stuck around and proved yourself to be out of the ordinary time and time again. You asked me about my favorite food (to your dismay, Panda Express), we talked about our eerily common interests (luckily I'm not the only 20-something utterly obsessed with Disney), and shared our personal goals for the future. With a few more bricks missing out of my wall, I decided to open up to you. If you had the gall to stick around this hot-mess express, I at least owed you the explanation of why - why I was broken, why I was insecure, and why I didn't think I was worthy of someone's total adoration.

Surely this was it; why would you want to stick around now?

Much to my pleasant surprise, you opened up to me too; your heart was also on the mend, and you had all but given up that 'perfect someone' was out there. As the saying goes, 'the rest was history;' it immediately became obvious we were meant to be together, meant to help each other heal. Not much time passed before we pitched head-long into that deep, no-holds-barred kind of love we had both been searching for all this time; a patient, healing kind of love that kicked, crushed, and crumbled the rest of the bricks that were left in my wall. Those bricks became dust on the wind, floating away along with all of the bad memories and my insecurities they were made with.

And for that, I thank you.

Thank you for proving to me I was worthy - worthy of all the love in the world, worthy of self-confidence, and worthy of happiness. Thank you for being patient, because we both know those bricks were tough and stubborn. Thank you for being you, because that's why we are where we are now.

And for that, I love you.