It's easy to label everyone your "best friend," but what's not easy is actually defining that as one singular person. We throw the term around like it means nothing, or think that simply because someone is a good friend that they get to be called our "best friend." At the end of the day, how many people do you really have? How many people can you honestly say are your true ultimate best friend? Sure, you can have a lot of great friends, because after all, this isn't me trying to lessen the credit of any of my friends, because I have a lot of awesome ones. This is me saying thank you to my ultimate best friend, the only friend of mine truly deserving of that title.

At this point of my life, I have used the term best friend so much that you can practically see me calling someone I just met it. It isn't so much that I have lost sense of the value of the term, but rather, I don't really think it's that important. Because my best friend can be described in more ways than just those two simple words. My best friend is like another sister to me. She is my better half. She has been more than just a best friend; she has been the ultimate best friend. I use this to say that my ultimate best friend is as good as it gets.

In my particular case, I have had the same ultimate best friend for six years now. We met in eighth grade, and honestly I don't know how I would have survived that year without her, or any year past that to be honest. Finishing middle school with a person like her by my side was more than I could have hoped for. Middle school was a very weird time for everyone, and I am grateful that she endured my awkward pre-teen phase or whatever you call this. This involved a lot of me trying to figure out how to deal with my 14-year-old earth-shattering problems, but I always knew I had her to help me through them.

I didn't have any idea that I would be as good of friends with this girl that I had only heard of a few times before. She was a complete stranger to me when I discovered we had every class together in eighth grade. Quickly, rather than slowly, we became friends. Almost instantly, all because of Facebook. Yes, we had classes together, but I remember we became Facebook friends and had a conversation on there, so the next day in school we actually talked in person. From that moment forward, there was no stopping our friendship that would later get us in trouble for laughing during class or just being plain dumb.

High school came around, and the group of friends that I had considered my best friends in middle school all split up. We either went to different school, or just drifted apart. Mia, my ultimate best friend, was in this group as well, except we didn't completely drift apart. There were people in that group that I thought I would be friends with for my whole life. Now, I do not even know how they are doing (which I hope they are doing well). Even people from that group that I had classes with in high school had changed almost instantly from being there just a few weeks. I kept in touch as much as I could, and there was effort being made towards some friendships throughout freshman year, but slowly time and effort became limited. We were trying to find our place, and along the way we lost that connection that held us together. But not me and my best friend. Regardless of the fact that we didn't have a single class together until junior year, we remained good friends.

We were tested freshman year, and our friendship was being held on by a thin thread. Simply because school, new friends, extracurriculars, lack of ever seeing each other got in the way. But there were always times that we would talk and everything would feel normal again. Our friendship got past that weird year of transitioning into the awful years that are called high school. Sophomore year came around. We stayed in touch, but I wouldn't say as close as we once were. We constantly tried to hang out or make our class schedules collide so we could have at least one class together, but it took some time to happen.

At the end of sophomore year, I got close to a new group of friends that I would later think of as some of my best friend, once again, of course. Junior year was a pretty good year minus some bumps. My ultimate best friend and I had a class together, public speaking. It was a good class to have, but I would say we mostly took it so we could finally have a class together. Senior year came around, and we had yet another class together, astronomy. We were closer than ever. Our friendship had been tested by effort and time, but we overcame. We made a lot of new friends along the way, but always remained best friends.

We have had our hiccups and our fights over seriously dumb things, but senior year we got into a pretty bad one. I am talking about this because I think it's important to know that friendships are not perfect. They sometimes come across issues, and sometimes they wear thin. But what matters is where you end up in the present day. This fight caused us to stop being as close as we were for a good four to five months. I can very surely say that not talking to my best friend every single day was one of the hardest things I ever had to do. It had felt like a part of me was missing, and as much as I regret that fight, it made us stronger.

People say once high school is over you find out who your true friends are. The people who actually stay in touch and weren't just there because it was convenient. Unfortunately for me, my group of "best" friends from high school were tested. Freshman year of college is huge, and it tests you in more ways than one. You come home for holidays and you try and see the people who once mattered the most to you, but slowly unless the effort is reciprocated, those friendships fade away. Now the people who I once considered my best friends I haven't even really seen. Luckily, my best friend and I stayed in touch practically every single day. Even if we went some time without talking because of busy college things, we managed to continue our conversations where they last ended. We never got mad, because there wasn't any time; we understood.

Now, we are about to enter our sophomore year of college, and I can very confidently say that our friendship is stronger than it has ever been. I have lost a lot of people along the way, but somehow our friendship remains in tact, regardless of anything that we face. Whether it is distance (she went to college in Florida for her freshman year), time, effort or connection. It was always enough.

So, here is my thank you. Thank you for being that one friend for me. Recently I attended a worship service called "Sisterhood" with my Mia. I arrived with my heart feeling heavy and in the wrong place. I had been dwelling on some things that felt out of my control. I had actually just talked to my family about how I was feeling regarding my old group of friends. I felt abandoned, alone and confused. My sister reminded me that there were going to be people who I lost touch with once going to college. But my sister then goes, "What about Mia?" and she was right. Mia, my ultimate best friend, was still here. She was still that friend. I felt like history was repeating itself. First middle school, then high school. All these friendships gone, but hers remaining consistent.

At this service, the main thing that I took away was that the path is narrow. The path to Jesus is narrow. And we were asked, "Who are we walking with?" And right there, it was where God spoke to me. He put peace in my heart, and he reminded me that the path is indeed narrow. I have made new amazing friends ever since being in college, and I don't think I have ever had friends like them. They are constant. I reflect on who is by my side, and the list is not long. But it doesn't have to be. I have my family, my ultimate best friend and my few constant friends.

My best friend is a part of my family. We have been through it all, and I am grateful for her constant presence and force in my life. She does not bash my beliefs; she encourages them. She is kind and reminds me of my place. Just recently, I went to her house and we just sat on her bed talking about anything and everything. Silence is OK; it is more than welcome. Laughter is never forced; it just flows. I feel extremely lucky to have someone like her in my life.

Thank you, Mia. Thank you for being the friend that my family reminds me is there. The friend who makes fun of me for how weird I am. The friend who knows every single thing about me. The friend I tell everything to, even if it's a secret that I am not supposed to tell (oops). Thank you for loving me regardless of how annoying I can be. Thank you for being there when nobody else was. Thank you for reminding me of the importance of quality over quantity when it comes to my friends. Thank you for being my complete opposite in some things, and exactly the same as me in others. Thank you for helping me through the parts of my life that I couldn't have done alone. Thank you for growing up with me. Thank you for your family, which I love. Thank you for understanding the challenges of friendship, and yet overcoming them with me.

I don't know who I would be without my best friend (and I wouldn't want to know). I just know that our friendship is timeless. We can joke about the same things we did in eighth grade, and it never gets old. We talk about how our speeches will be when we are each other's maids of honor. We talk about how we are going to be the godparent of each other's kids. Regardless of how much time passes without us talking, or of how many new friends we make, our bond is unbreakable. Our friendship is as ultimately great, strong and true as it gets.

As we always say, from womb to tomb.

P.S. Thanks for always calling me out when I'm lame, which I know you are going to do once you read this. But if you didn't, you wouldn't be the same person you've been for the past six years (which you are, so I will be waiting for that "You're so lame" text).

Love,

Someone who is lucky to call you her ultimate best friend.