First of all, thank you. You may never know or understand the value of our friendship in my eyes, but this is where I hopefully can show you how grateful I am for you and our relationship. 

You helped me see that my insecurities were not my own. I could read Cosmo articles about body image / shaming all day, and they still wouldn’t matter half as much as when you add, “You’re beautiful.” 

You helped me see that the real world is much different than my own. Our differing opinions on various topics don’t result in heated arguments. Instead you educate and inform me of things that I never realized or understood. 

You helped me gain my voice. It’s not okay for me to sit by and not express my opinion out of fear. I’m strong and independent, and if I can’t give my two cents in a class pitch group, where can I? 

You let me ramble about things I don’t even understand. Half of the time you really may not care what I have to say, but it’s probably irrelevant to the big picture anyway. Sometimes the thing we need most is lack of reaction, rather than forced compassion. 

You show me what it means to be a mature adult. That doesn’t mean we miss weekends downtown or remember to do the dishes every night. But I value real conversations more now than ever. I see the importance of making time for those who matter, rather than always thinking about myself and what’s convenient for me. 

You’ve helped me grow in ways I didn’t realize I needed to or could. Nothing is more important than being honest with myself and living my life to the fullest. It’s okay to have days when I’m sad, or angry. It’s also okay to get less than 8 hours of sleep on a work-night. It’s okay to admit that I’m scared. It’s also okay to say, “sure” to that last-minute road trip. 

All in all, thank you for being an incredible friend. I probably don’t deserve you, but I’m eternally grateful God placed you in my life.