Hey friend,

So let’s flash back to senior year of high school… I don’t know about you but it feels like just yesterday and a lifetime ago all at the same time. Home still felt like home, college was just a thought, and life was immensely different. College seemed like a place where we just did not belong and trying to make friends that compared to our high school friends seemed like an impossible task. Can we just reflect on how great it feels to be finished with phase of uncertainty? I sure am thankful for a lot of things that college has brought me, but your friendship is an awfully big one.

You, my friend, are one of a kind. College gives you the chance to meet a vast number of new people. You know, just as well as I do, that the first month of freshman year is essentially just a continuous cycle of introducing yourself to as many people as possible (and struggling to remember way too many new names). College campuses are filled with an amazing amount of opportunity and a unique mix of beautiful people, but I sure am grateful that you and I crossed paths at just the right time. There is no doubt that our friendship is built on something so much more than dining hall lunches, core classes, and hours in the library. It surely did not take me long to realize that you are most definitely the friend that I prayed so hard for.

It is difficult to believe that we have walked through more trials, temptations, and new experiences than I ever could have anticipated in just a few short months. No one prepares you for the things you will be faced with when you walk onto a college campus, but it has been great to learn how to navigate this life with you by my side.

I am so grateful for your transparency. There is something so refreshing about a friendship in which we can be completely open and honest with each other. Everything from embarrassing stories to deep struggles, we are able to tackle them together. Sometimes it is so necessary to be vulnerable in a world of new experiences, and I am so thankful that you encourage me to do that. Thank you for always speaking wisdom into my life. If we have learned anything the past six months, it is that we are terrible at doing this thing called “being adults”. However, you have this funny way of speaking truth into my life that makes the seemingly disastrous circumstances feel a little better. Thank you for praying for me. Struggles and trials are bound to occur in college, but thank you for helping me handle each and every one through your abundant prayers. Thank you for never failing to remind me of the person I said that I wanted to be during that first month of our freshman year. College presents the unique opportunity to grow and change as a person, but thank you for never letting me forget the goals and aspirations that I have set for myself. Although change is necessary, you have consistently reminded me about what is truly important so that I may only change for the better. Most of all… thank you for always pointing me up instead of allowing me to fall under the ever-present temptations of college.

I said all that to say that even though we are in very similar shoes and faced with very similar situations, you have taught me so much. I will always be thankful for our freshman year heart to hearts, random adventures, and unending laughs. We cannot know for sure what the next three years will hold for us, but no matter where we find ourselves next year, we have so much to look forward. I cannot wait to continue to walk through this crazy life with you.

What a sweet blessing you are. Thank you a thousand times.