When your world falls apart, when nothing makes sense, when you’re in over your head: Remember who is standing next to you. Remember who picks up the phone on the first ring. Remember who gets in the car and drives to your apartment, just to hold you in their arms. Remember who stays up late to make sure you get home safe, or takes you home even when they’re tired. Remember who wipes your tears, calms you down, listens to you rant even when they’re powerless to help.

Remember the ones who didn’t leave you behind, who followed you even when you were headed the wrong way, who fought through battles with you. Remember the ones who stayed and never left.

Life will hand you obstacles, it will hand you challenges, it will hand you pain. There will be days when even though you try your hardest to have everything together, you’ll still lose your way. There will be nights where you cry yourself to sleep, where you’re so deeply lost, when you’re caught in a web of negative thinking. There will be mornings where you don’t know who you are, or whether you’ll have the strength to begin again.

And it’s in this lowest moments where you must look to see who’s around you, reach out to them, and let them help you back to your feet.

There are people who will stay. There are people who will go to battle. There are people who, despite the circumstances of their personal lives, will be there for you, no questions asked.

There are people who mean their promises, who say forever and mean it. There are people who won’t run at the first sign of trouble, but stand next to you, armored and ready to fight.

Remember those people. The ones who are selfless. The ones who aren’t afraid to take on your problems as their own. The ones who don’t make you feel like you’re a burden, who don’t blame you for shortcomings because they know they’re just as imperfect.

Remember the people who stand by your side when you’re not yourself, when you’ve stumbled or fallen, when you’re not sure who you are. Remember the people who treated you with compassion, with kindness, with care. The ones who didn’t make you feel guilty for being human, but took you under their wing and welcomed you in.

Remember who is next to you when you can barely lift your head. The ones who encourage you, share words of strength, give you wisdom and laughter when you’ve lost all hope.

These are the people to thank God for, to treasure, to hold close.

These are the people worth loving, worth keeping, worth fighting for in return.