You hear it all the time. As you grow up, sometimes you grow a part from the people, as well as the friends that you have grown up with. It's sad, but in some cases, well it isn't the case at all.

It's a beautiful thing that those people who saw you in a vulnerable, (awkward) stage are still present in your life. If not, please don't take this the wrong way. There's a reason for each person in your life and it's often on both sides of the friendship. Friends have a great impact on us, and no matter if you found those friends early on, or later on, friends help us in various stages of life.

For this; however, I want to say a special thank you. So here goes:

Dear hometown friends,

Thank you for being there for me when I wanted to try blue eye shadow, or when I wanted to wear black gaucho pants with my collared shirt. Thank you for being patient with me when I wanted to shop in Claire's for 3 hours. I'm grateful that within our awkward stages, you still talked to me when I didn't know how to use a curling iron or a flat iron. Thank you for sticking with me when we transitioned from elementary school to middle school and from middle school to high school. Sometimes friends like us would have lost touch in high school, but we became closer. I told you about the boys I had a crush on, the grades I got, my issues beyond the classroom and sharing the joy of all the achievements that occurred. Thank you also for trusting me enough when I got my license and we experienced "freedom" for the first time even though I still had a curfew. Thank you for being there for me when I was deciding where to go after our small town and supporting me through that decision. At the time, I knew we'd stay in touch, but thank you for still being apart of my life now.

Fast forward from middle school dances and hanging out at Wal-mart and now we're in our 20's.

We're still figuring out things and we still struggle, but I am so grateful that I can come to you when I have those moments. Thank you for listening to me gripe about school, or events that happened when I wasn't in our hometown anymore. Thank you for being there for me to call when I just needed to hear from someone to tell me that I have came a long way. Thank you for listening and understanding. It was hard sometimes, but y'all made it better. I was able to lay everything out and there was no judgment. I was able to be supported, and I only hope that by your example, I am able to be someone like that to someone the more we go about this life.

As my last remarks, I just wanted to say thank you for challenging me, and helping me grow, even though we are still growing up.

Sincerely,

Me