We used to be so close. We would spend almost every single day together for years. We would drive around country roads for hours. I was at your house almost every day. I love your family and your family loves me. We moved to new distant places and it changed everything. But something I can promise you that it didn't change was our friendship and how much I love you.

The first time I met you was in choir, freshman year of high school. We didn't talk much, but there was just something about you I liked. That summer, I called you up and we spent nearly every single day together from that point on. We grew incredibly close to one another. We went to countless movie premieres. We laughed for hours about stupid crap. We even walked the streets of New York City for our first time together. We have thousands upon thousands of good memories. So the thought of physical distance between us since we're on opposite sides of the country really breaks my heart.

You know I wish I could be there for you. I would be in a heartbeat if I really could. But please don't think that you're only trying to make it on your own out there, because that's not the case at all; you're flourishing. You went to school, got a great degree, and you have an awesome job in which you get to help shape the lives of others. It's an amazing opportunity and you literally made it. You checked all the boxes.

But for some reason, sometimes, you might have this feeling of worthlessness or unhappiness, and you just can't figure out how to fix it. It's something I've felt before myself. But I have said it before and I will say it over and over and over again: You are worth so much. You are priceless. You can never be replaced and there's only one of you. That's an amazing thing to think about, and you should embrace that fact because it's such an awesome opportunity to be the only "you" in this world. The fact that you exist makes my world shine so much brighter. Believe it or not, but I need you as much as you need me.

Distance can pull people apart and sometimes silence their voices. But even though we don't talk every day, I think about you almost every hour of every day. I wonder how you are in that moment, what you're doing, and what you're thinking. You're always on my mind. I just want you to know, in case you ever question it, that I will always be here - no matter what. I honestly would have no clue where I would be in this life if you didn't exist. Your existence changed me, and for the better.

So maybe, just as a little reminder, I write you a list of all the things I'm grateful for and love about you. A list to help you understand how much you mean to me.

I always loved going to your house. It was my home away from home, even being just a couple miles down the road. It was one of my few places of comfort. Your family has a new house now and I love it, but your old home houses so many memories that I can't help but drive by it every time I'm back home.

I love your momma. She's a brave, strong and smart woman and you are so blessed to have her in your life. She and everyone in your home would welcome me in with open arms, and it's something I will forever be grateful for. I feel so blessed to even be able to say I know her.

I love your little sister. She's such a dork and it's the best thing in the world. I met her when she was just so tiny and now she's grown up into a beautiful young lady. I consider her to be my sister too. If there's anyone remotely as funny as you, it's definitely her. You both got it from your momma.

I always loved going on country cruises. I say that sentence to anyone where I'm now located and people think I'm talking about ship cruises around the U.S. Whenever I had anxiety, those hours just driving aimlessly gave me a peace that I didn't know existed otherwise. Now, whenever I'm just needing some "me time," I drive around the ocean while listening to John Mayer and wishing you were there.

I used to hate country music, but you helped me understand why it exists. There were times when I didn't have the words to describe some event that had happened, but you would show me a song that said the words perfectly. There's just something so magical about slowly driving country roads surrounded by cornfields and listening to country music. You were one of the people that revealed that to me and it changed my life.

I love that you're weird and can laugh at yourself because you helped me discover that it's okay to be weird and laugh at myself too. You're, hands down, one of the funniest people I have ever met in my life. You have that rare thing about you where you're always funny without even trying to be, which makes it even better. It's a quality that I don't come across often, so I know to hold onto it when I see it.

There's a thousand more things I could write; but lastly and most importantly, I love you as a whole. You're smart and beautiful and have the entire world at your doorstep. Don't ever lose sight of what's really important. To me, you're important. And if I ever lost sight of what's important to me...I don't know what I would do. No words would ever describe that feeling. Only silence would exist. You mean more to me than you will ever know.

Yes, distance is currently separating us, but I am still here with you always. Don't ever think otherwise. I love you to the moon and back. Thank you for being you.