There are many times in which people go through best friends as if they are easily found and easily disposable. I have had many best friends throughout life but there is only one person who has been with me since childhood, and even throughout breaks has been there for me when needed.

Having a friend like this makes you wonder how you became so lucky to have someone who cares so much about you to stick around no matter how badly you may have treated them, and also makes you wonder how strong you can be based on how badly they treated you. There were many times in which this person and I were unable to remain friends based on personal lives and hormones, but we have always found our ways back into each other's lives because growing up together has always been better than growing up with anyone else.

We have known each other since before we could tell our moms that we wouldn't want to hang out with the other. We were in school together from pre-K all the way to high school. We literally have never been in school without the other one being close, if not right next to us.

We have both grown up and changed so much, and many times it is hard for us to remember why we ever became friends to begin with. On many topics we are polar opposites; we don't like the same music, style of dress, TV shoes, books, basically everything. Yet, you are one of my closest and most beloved friends.

We have been through every stage of life together. From the little kid stage in which we ran around with cake and mud and who knows what kind of toys we played with, to the stage that we thought we were so cool for being the oldest in elementary school and then graduating and moving into the middle school. Then we went into the hormonal awkward and terribly ugly preteen years where we were growing into ourselves, our friendships and sadly our attitudes.

Once we finally got over ourselves we went through the stage of growing up and leaving our hometown, and now we are going through the stage of growing into members of the real world.

I guess what I am trying to say with this whole thing is, thank you. Thank you for being there for me no matter how many times I took up the floor in front of both of our lockers or made a rude comment. Thank you for choosing to stay friends with me, even after high school. Thank you for looking past our differences to find our similarities and realize why we work so well as friends. Thank you for being you and for growing into the amazing, strong and beautiful person that you are. And, most of all, thank you for being the one to stand by me my whole life, giving me the honor of growing up with you as my forever best friend.

I love you.