I should start this off by saying thank you. I know I already thank you for mundane things, like when you pick me up a coffee when you’re out, or how you let me have the dress you impulse ordered online when you end up not liking it.

I could write an entire list of silly things I’m thankful for when it comes to you. But that would only scratch the surface. It wouldn’t even begin to cover the gratitude I feel to have found you.

I owe you thanks for much more than the simple things you could slap on a greeting card. For more than the shared laughter together over weird Tinder profiles we come across. For more than always knowing it’s a yes to extra guac. For more than late night talks about our exes and things we’re afraid to say in the morning.

You should already know how much you mean to me, but we both know reminders never hurt.

When I say I am so glad to have you, it’s not an exaggeration. I’m not trying to write some fluffy message on the back of your yearbook. I’m telling you, without a doubt, my life would be missing something grand if it weren’t for you.

For all the times we joke that we should just enter a platonic marriage and make it official, you should know it’s only partly a joke because being in each other’s lives forever sounds like a good deal to me. The way we love isn’t romantic, but I think it’s something far more important.

We love each other without conditions.

Thank you for never asking me to be anything other than exactly what I am. You take the full package, and you embrace it. We both know I am not always the pretty picture I filter myself to be, and Babe, there are times you’re quite the mess yourself. But we stand together in our imperfections.

Thank you for not loving me in spite of things. Thank you for loving me for everything. I don’t think I’ll ever fully explain to you how much that means.

You’ve taught me to be forgiving with myself. You’ve taught me to be gentle with my own heart because of how kindly you treat it. When things start to weight too heavy, I know you are an anchor to settle me back in the right spot. Nobody even asked you to do that.

But you do.

Thank you for understanding my darkness. Or for those times when you don’t, thank you for not being afraid of what you don’t quite know. I’m proud of how eager we are to learn how to love each other better, the way we ask questions, how we make sure the other one knows we aren’t scared off when things get tough. We grow our relationship like it’s a living thing. Because I think it is.

You’ve seen me in situations I wish you hadn’t. You’ve watched me walk through Hell and I probably didn’t look too graceful while doing it. You never judged, you just waited there with your hand held out if I ever needed to grab it. And in turn, I’ve stood at the bottom of a canyon ready to catch you if your balance ever gives out.

Thank you for being in my corner, even when I didn’t always deserve it. You know there have been times I ferociously took your side when maybe there was another part of the story. And when we both played devil’s advocate and got slightly ticked off. I treasure your advice (even when I don’t take it) and I’m thankful for all the times you listen to the same story.

Thank you for all that you’ve done and continue to do. When you are not your strongest, I will take whatever of your struggle I can. When you are afraid there is no light at the end of the tunnel, I’ll steal a flashlight for you. Yeah, that’s right. I’d risk jail for you.

I hope you never doubt how much of an impact you’ve made on my life and on my heart. You are my person. And I will always be here for you.