We all have that one person in which the word strength comes to mind when we think of them. Mom, dad, sister, boyfriend, girlfriend or best friend…they’ve been through it all and you’ve been the biggest fan of their constant courage, yet never quite told them how admirable their strength really is. So this goes out to that person, to you, the strongest person I know.

Heads up…the words to come are 100 percent true and meant entirely for you:

God put you in my life, regardless of whether it was by blood or the choice of friendship, to show me what the epitome of strength resembles. You show the world that one person, no matter how insignificant that quantity of a number may be, can make the ultimate difference. You inspire me to dream bigger and achieve greater, and you always manage to comment on my endurance, without even realizing the extent of your own. My favorite beauty within your strength is just that; your nature of not even knowing that it’s there. You carry the world as a 500 pound weightlifting champion would, yet you treat it as if it were a feather in the wind.

Yes, strength can be, and most of the time is, measured with weights and power. In fact, Merriam-Webster’s first definition entry is stated as such: “the quality or state of being physically strong.” We look at muscles and built bodies and think, “Wow, he’s really strong.” Or look at the president of a successful franchise and say to ourselves, “Wow, she must be really powerful.” And while all of those statements may be true, I believe the greatest strength and power lies within a being’s heart. It’s the power to not let others see your weakness. To be dealt the worst of cards, yet still manage to bet in high chips as if your hand was ideal. The outcome to such a determined frame of mind: You win the pot. Others can't even detect the high stakes you truly put yourself up against. That’s strength. Knowing that you’re down, but not letting the odds scare you out.

While most of your successes and obstacles you overcame to achieve those pursuits go unnoticed, I want to tell you right now, I notice them. I may be just one voice, but I hope that’s enough to show you how great you are. Someone out there, that someone being me, wouldn't have the same outlook on life without a person as strong as you in it. Because of you, I look at the world and see it as something to take on, not as something that can consume me. I see opportunity, not destruction. But most of all, because of you, because you have shown me what I can do, I see my place in this world.

Thank you for being you, and for defining strength in a way not found in any dictionary description.