I can’t say “thank you” enough to express how grateful I am for you coming into my life. You have made such a huge impact on my life. I would not be the person I am today without you and I know that you will keep inspiring me to become an even better version of myself.

You have taught me that you don’t always have to strong. You are allowed to break down as long as you pick yourself back up and keep moving forward. I know that you don’t believe in things happening for a reason so I can believe for the both of us that you were brought into my life for a reason.

You have taught me that I have a story and that my story matters. More so, you have taught me that other people need my story. Through honesty and vulnerability, I can open doors that would otherwise stay closed. It wasn’t until I started to get honest and vulnerable with myself that I could get honest and vulnerable with other people.

You have taught me that despite my flaws and hurts, my story is still valid and that gave me the strength to validate other people’s stories

Because you taught me to see the world differently, I learned to treat the world differently.

Our friendship has taught me to appreciate the small moments and to not rush through my life. It has taught me that the smallest acts of kindness can sometimes be the most monumental; things like genuinely asking how someone’s day is going. During one of our numerous coffee runs, I asked you why you wanted to spend your time making small talk with the barista at Starbucks and you replied, “This is her whole day, standing there taking orders. We might as well make it a good day.” After that, I made an effort to be kind to anyone, no matter how small of a role they played in my life because you never know what someone is going through. It has taught me to see the adventure in any situation. It has taught me to make decisions that will make for the better story.

Your passion to make a difference in the world is unbelievable. You put your heart and soul into your endeavors and surpass any personal goal you could have set. Watching you do what you love and watching you make a difference in the lives of others is an incredible experience and I hope that one day I can have just as much passion you have.

The love you have for your family is outstanding. Listening to you talk about your loved ones just makes me smile. You give me hope for my own great family one day. You love with all your heart and this quality is something I wished I possessed.

You inspire me to be the best version of myself. I look up to you. I feel that more people should strive to have the strength and passion that you exemplify in everyday life. I have never been more proud to know someone and to call someone my role model. You have taught me so many things and I want to thank you. Thank you for inspiring me in life. Thank you for making me want to be a better person.

Thank you for dealing with my immaturities and tantrums. Even though know you’re not one for drama when I am the definition of dramatic you never stopped pushing me. Even if I’m hard to deal with at times (all the time), you never left. Instead, you still try to understand.

I may not say it often but I treasure the memories we have made and shared.

Thank you for always understanding. You never judged me. You accepted me. And your open-mindedness and compassionate heart always comfort me.

It is challenging to put into words how proud I am of you and all of the wishful things I desire for you in the future and with that being said I want to draw this quote from Confucius: “Wherever you go, go with all your heart.”

Life has a funny way of playing games, so no matter what it brings you, just do it with all of your heart. I know you will. I know this because no matter what the situation is that I’ve been lucky enough to witness over these past few years, you’ve brought your whole heart with you and always seemed to turn a negative situation into a positive one. Just remember that when life becomes tricky.

You have walked with me through some of the most turbulent times in my life and for that, I am eternally grateful and I will always do the same for you.

Thank you for always telling me the truth. Without you calling me out on the stupid things I do, I don’t know where I would be today.

Most importantly thank you for being yourself.