Hey you,

How’s it going? I hope you’re doing okay – we were out of touch there for a while. I just wanted you to know, you rock.

No, really. You totally rock. I think in today’s day and age, we’re afraid to point out the things we love about ourselves for fear of being seen as vain or conceited. However, we don’t give it a second thought before we put ourselves down and point out every little detail we don’t want to look at in the mirror, but we can’t take our eyes away from. But, I’m here to say, f*ck seeming conceited. As Demi Lovato says, what’s wrong with being confident? You, my friend, are awesome. While Justin Bieber may have had another meaning when he said, “You should go and love yourself,” I’m going to pretend he was trying to inspire a self-love movement, and to that I say, cheers, Biebs. I’m with you.

Embrace your flaws, sweetheart, because you’re beautiful. There’s nothing wrong with being a little bit curvy for goodness sake, and you’ve got some great hair, too. You put up with me dragging you to the gym even when you really don’t want to, and you also don’t complain too much when I get the idea to eat four cupcakes in one sitting. You’re a good sport, even if you’re not too good at sports.

All this is well and good, of course, but we all know that when it comes to a love letter, it’s not about what’s on the outside. You don’t love someone solely for their appearance. (If you do, I think we need to have a little chat.)

You are kind, my dear. You go out of your way to be nice to other people even when you don’t like them.

You are smart. I see how hard you work for school more than anybody, I see how much you’ve struggled to get where you are today. I am so proud of you.

I love your confidence. Now, don’t get me wrong. I know how insecure you can be, but when it comes to who you are as a person, you’re completely unashamed to be who you are. Yes, you have an unhealthy love for cats. Yes, you love "Harry Potter" and "Lord of the Rings." Yes, you still like to play the Backstreet Boys way too loudly in the car, and yes, you make more puns than anyone ever should. But you’re entirely unashamed to be exactly who you are, and so happy just being yourself all the time.

That’s another one of your qualities I truly admire: your spirit. You’ve been through some really tough times. I’ve seen you deal with things I honestly didn’t think you’d find your way past, but you’ve persevered, and you’ve done it all with a smile.

I want

you to be my Valentine this year, especially since I know how much you love the holiday. I want you to feel how loved you are. We’ll have some chocolate (a lot of chocolate), some wine (probably a lot of that, too), and we can watch a movie and maybe even go to bed a little early. You deserve it, and you’re definitely worth it. I just hope that by the time you’re done reading this, you really believe it. I love you.