To the friends that remind us who we really are when we forget, when we start acting out of character and put ourselves in situations that don’t reflect our values, our beliefs or our hearts.

To the friends that tell us that we shouldn’t settle or lower our standards just because we’re going through a hard time and we’re looking for instant gratification. To the ones who pick us up during those hard times before we deviate from who we really are or deviate from our own strength.

To the friends who support us even if they don’t agree with what we’re doing but still show up unexpectedly to make sure we’re out of trouble. They do whatever they can to be there for us even when we push them away. They look out for us from the window pane when we close our doors. 

To the friends who protect us from people with bad intentions, from those who don’t want what’s best for us, from those who claim to love us just so they can take advantage of what we have to offer. To the ones who sniff their lies from miles away and warn us. The ones who see their truths when we believe their lies. The ones who truly have our backs when these people backstab us.

To the friends who speak for us when we can’t speak for ourselves. The ones who give us the wake-up call we need when we’ve been in denial or in the dark for too long. To the friends who stay and get us through these tough times instead of judging us or walking away. Thank you for being our light in these moments. Thank you for reminding us that we don’t have to stay stuck. Thank you for saving us when we can’t save ourselves. 

Thank you for seeing in us what we forget to see sometimes. Thank you for still believing in our strength when we’re fragile and believing in our wisdom when we’re being foolish. Thank you for giving us a shoulder to cry on when all hell breaks loose.

And finally, thank you for sticking around, for being there, for picking up the pieces of our own mess. Thank you for making us feel like we’re not alone. That we still have people who care enough to interfere when something is wrong. People who can sense when we’re in danger. People we can truly count on. Thank you for being our emergency call even if it’s not an emergency. Thank you for fighting our battles with us even when we’re not victorious and most of all thank you for grieving our losses with us and loving us through it all until we’re healed again.