Dear Long Lost Friends,

I'm not exactly sure how long it's been since we've talked because the days, months and years without you all seem to be filled with memories. Some of you might not have cut me out of your life on purpose, but life just seemed to get in our way. I moved away, we went to different schools and made new friends -- and that's fine. I genuinely hope you're all doing well.

Then there's those of you who said I was never a "true" friend, I wasn't pretty enough to hang out with anymore, or decided to betray me. Hey. How are you? It's funny because here I am, still thinking about you all. My life has introduced me to thousands of people. Sadly, you decided that I wasn't worthy enough of sharing your life with me all anymore. But I want you to know that's okay. It's okay that I was hurt when you left. It was okay when I heard you gossiping about me in the halls. It's okay that you didn't want to sign my yearbook or that you called me names behind my back. It's okay.

When you all decided to cut me out of your lives, my world felt like it was ending. But, as much as I miss you guys, my life didn't crash and burn. Here I am without you, without the people that I once called my bridesmaids and the people that I made lifelong plans with. But because of you, I am who I am today.

Thank you for making me a stronger person. I overcame the sadness of life without you, I found strength in the darkest of times and I learned to have a backbone and stand up for myself. I am eternally grateful for the mental and physical strength I've gained since you walked out of my life.

Thank you for making me more aware. You taught me that I shouldn't always open my heart -- rather, I should be selective about who I let into my life. You were right: maybe I trusted people too easily. I let too many people (including you) take advantage of my nice, "say-yes" personality.

Thank you for opening my eyes to so many other people. When our friendship ended, I looked back on my life and realized how many people I wasn't giving a chance. Without this realization, I wouldn't have met some of the most fun and genuinely nice people that decided to share their life with me.

But most importantly...

Thank you for the memories. I still think of my first best friends that moved away in elementary school, the friends that I talked on AOL Instant Messaging to for hours and put in my Buddy Profile, and the friends that I experienced the whirlwinds of high school with. We enjoyed a lot of good times together, and, at one point, you were my best friend. Despite everything that's happened since we last talked, you were a huge part of my life and I will forever remember the good times we had together.

Sincerely,

Your old pal, Lainey