Thank you for being there when nobody else was. Thank you for staying up late with me, listening to my problems and pain, and taking them as your own. Thank you for never complaining, never flinching, never even hesitating to support me when I needed it. Sometimes it seems like it’s almost your instinct to help me, even when I barely feel like I deserve it.

Thank you for putting up with me when I don’t treat you completely how you deserve. Sometimes I get bogged down and lash out. I feel safe venting to you, because I know our friendship is strong, but I should never take that for granted. I should never take you for granted.

Thank you for laughing with me. Even on the days where I am on the verge of giving up, ready to throw in the towel, your boundless humor somehow passes me a life-raft. It is as if every chuckle, every chortle from our conversations can replace every tear, every crack of my battered heart. Thank you for the inside jokes, the teasing remarks, the ability to find humor even when I can scarcely crack a smile.

Thank you for believing in me — even when I don’t believe in myself. Thank you for telling me that I can do it, even while I’m convincing myself that I can’t. Thank you for expecting great things of me, because truthfully, sometimes you expect more greatness out of me than I do.

Thank you for being real with me. For not putting up with my shit, for encouraging me to make the changes I need to make in my life. You are always there to listen, of course, but you know how to get me to think about the future. You get me to think about how I can actually solve problems, and not just bitch about them.

Thank you for the little things. Thank you for picking me up when my car broke down, or bringing me lunch when I was working a long shift, or writing me a card on my birthday. Thank you for reminding me of my value in the tiny, everyday moments.

Thank you for adding color to my life, even as I paint my own world in dull shades of grey. Thank you for bringing hope to my hopelessness, bringing life to my lifelessness, and joy to my joylessness.

Thank you for being my friend. It has meant absolutely everything.