Our friendship makes me laugh. By the rules of junior high school, we really had no business being friends.
Thank you for taking me to all of the parties, even though you knew before we got in the car that it would be a wasted effort, that Zach would drag me to his truck and drive me right back home. Thank you for always having an answer. Thank you for the hours upon hours spent driving around town, through country lanes and across back roads. Thank you for the music and the silence and the words spoken and the words kept.
You don’t let me hide from the world. You’re my saving grace, my lifeboat, my trusted companion and my bitchy greatest friend. You’re my best confidant and my brilliant editor.
When my mind goes blank with overwhelm or frustration, you're right there to remind me of what is true. You have words when I have none, and they're always the right words. Sometimes not the easiest words, but always the true words. I've never had to walk through a tunnel of despair alone or look down the barrel of death on my own because you have always been there. You've never left me, not once, not even for a minute, since that day in junior high when our sisterhood began.
When I couldn't sleep, you would lay with me until my eyes eventually closed and my mind drifted off into a fit of exhausted slumber. When I couldn't eat, you would find The Hill and ensure my most comforting meal was in front of me. When my body was wracked with sobs, grief the only companion who felt close, you were there to hold me. When my joy was sky high, when it felt like the path in front of me was smooth and paved in gold, you were ( / are) there to dance along the way with me. When the glasses are clinked and the cheers are cheersed, you're right there cheers-ing the biggest cheers in the room (i know you're laughing at how many times the word 'cheers' is used in this sentence).
There is no other like you. Your loyalty, selflessness, and love truly know no bounds and to be on the receiving end of each is one of my greatest life honors. You fill my soul with your bitingly hilarious comments, a squeeze hug that only you can give, and a lifetime worth of joy, purpose, and allegiance. I wouldn't be me without you, and I kind of like myself these days, so don't ever leave me, okay?
Thank you & I love you. So so so much.