Katelyn Marie Venable Curtis Soon-to-be-Tomford. Wow, your name’s changed a lot since I’ve met you. If you didn’t know by now, my love language is words of affirmation so what better way to express that than by writing about it. While seasons seem slow, moments pass much too quickly so I wanted to take one to tell you why I’m grateful for you.

Every time I think about the reasons I’m thankful for you I’m at first too overwhelmed to speak. I recognize the endless blessings you pour into my life and all I can do is thank God we were put together. You are without a doubt my soul sister. Cliché, I know. But there are no better words.

Thank you for being the first person to show me what a Jesus-type love looks like. It’s that unfailing, all-accepting, encouraging, wholesome, cornerstone foundation. Any time of day, any bone-chilling temperature outside, any distance, you’ve been there for me when I needed you. More importantly, you always brought snacks. (Amen, thank you Jesus.) Even through the seasons when we weren’t all that close. There were times I just needed to talk to someone and the only person I could think of was you. The only place I could think to turn was you. And you were always there. Since day one. And you’ve never lied to me. We were never superficial friends and I couldn’t be more thankful for that. I sometimes hated it, but you’ve never been afraid to tell me the honest truth. I needed it. I still do.

Your love, your loyalty, your patience, your support never wavers. Not even when I pushed you away. You refuse to concede, to just tell me what I want to hear, and you’ve always, always, always kept the best in mind for me. When I got over myself and looked back to find you, there you were. You were always there. Always. Apologizing when you didn’t have anything to be sorry for. Mending the gap. Holding me up when I was too weak to stand and pointing me back to the One who saved me.

While some might just cheer you through the battle, you were always there with me in the trenches. We’ve fought through so much together. Hand in hand and tear for tear. You celebrate with me at my highest highs and hold me at my lowest lows. You challenge me to lead a more authentic life, encourage me to aspire, and help me learn to have patience with slow progress.

I don’t know how I ever lived without you. I know that I could not have made it here today without you. I know I won’t make it through the next season without you. Good thing I’ll never have to. Through thick and thin, at highs and lows. You’re my person. You’re my sister. You’re my battle buddy. You’re my biggest fan. You’re my best friend. I thank God for every single night because believe it or not, you saved my life.