Dear Friend,

I want to start by saying that I love you, oh so much. I look up to you in so many ways that you probably aren’t even aware of. You have been my inspiration for the past 11 years, and I am so grateful that I have gotten to be a part of your life. I did not know what it meant to be a true friend before you needed me to be there for you. I didn’t know what having a sister felt like, and neither did you, until we became one to each other.

I do not know what you had to go through when you were just 8 years old, on that earth-shattering September day. I have never experienced the pain that you endured at such a young age, an age that should not be capable of feeling such heartache. I do not know what it was like to grow up without the one person who is always supposed to be there for you. But every year, around this time, I find myself thinking more and more about you, and us, and that day that caused you to have to grow up way too quickly.

I do know that you would agree with me when I say that our relationship wasn’t easy. But I know you’d also agree with me when I say that even with as much as God challenged us, we always stuck together. Through Barbie’s, braces, and boys, we were each other’s person. Know that as I grew up alongside you, I witnessed you conquer the world like a rock star, and to this very day, I am in awe at how you did it all. I am so proud of the young woman you have become, and I have never been more proud to say that you were the one by my side through both the good and the bad times.

Please know that I did my absolute best to be there for you. Know that it was hard to know what to say sometimes, especially when we were younger. Know that I’m sorry if I didn’t always say the right thing, the thing you needed or wanted most to hear from me. But please know that I heard every word you said to me, even if I didn’t always have a reply. Know that as we grew older and talked more and more about life, and death, and the crazy, unfair world we live in, I treasured every conversation we had. Every late night phone call, every cemetery visit, every tear shed while embraced in each other’s arms, know that I will cherish those moments forever.

Know that you are still one of my very best friends. You are the friend I know I can go days, weeks, even months without speaking to, but who I know will always, wholeheartedly, have my back when I need it. We may not be as close as we once were, but know that my heart will always hold a special place in it for our friendship. Know that I appreciated all of the times when you needed someone to be there for you, yet you were still always there for everyone else. Please know that you have experienced much more than most young adults will ever have to, and through you, I have learned so much. Know that I am amazed at how you have tackled the world with such poise and grace and that your mom would be so incredibly proud, too.

LYLT,

Jen