To my college best friends.

Thanks for being you.

We should all be thankful year round, not just when the entire family is gathered around the table at Thanksgiving dinner or we’ve just spent Christmas morning on the floor of the living room surrounded by mountains of silky ribbon and shiny wrapping paper. Sadly, many young people, myself included, have grown accustomed to receiving, never giving and rarely thanking. Rarely thanking the people that keep us going, the people that lift us up when we are down, and the people that make every bad day better. Everyone now has their family in mind, but dig a little deeper and outside the box. I love my family, but they are not my only people. These people are my very best friends. My college best friends and as the summer holiday quickly approaches and final exams control our minds I find myself thinking of missing them all so very much for many long weeks.

I am embarrassed and ashamed to say that upon entering college I was not always thankful for the friendships our God placed in my life. I failed to be thankful for my friends at home. The friends that pushed me on the swing set, listened to me cry over that one boy, and drove around in the rain for hours because every day that week sucked. I love my friends from home and they will always, always be near and dear to my heart, but the girls that I now brush my teeth with before bed, cry to when I miss home, that mope with me when we fail an exam, and still love me even after they have seen me at my worst and truly transformed me into a thankful and more faithful person. These girls are my college best friends, and I am super blessed to have found them living just down the hall and right next door.

Honestly, I did not truly grasp and understand the true meaning of friendship until after joining the sorority and living with such an amazing group of unique and outstanding women. I know that the Lord placed each individual in my life for a reason. I love each of my sisters dearly, but nothing compares to the bond I hold with my very best friends. So, this one goes out to my girls, best friends, and pride… You know who you are.

This is for all of you girls out there who have found true and lasting friendships through college. I don’t know where I would be without my girls and my faith!

Ladies,

Constantly, I find myself thanking God for blessing us with a sunny Monday, fluffy pillows, canceled early morning classes, and an amazing family. I thank God that my mom is only a phone call away, that I have the opportunity to attend school, for guiding me, shaping me, and loving me unconditionally. What I often forget and fail to do is thank God for giving me you. I forget to remind each of you how thankful I am to have you in my life. So, thank you, thank you, thank you.

“We are in this struggle together.” Philippians 1:30

We all attend class, we all fail quizzes, stay up for 36 hours straight, struggle writing long essays, and cry over that one terrible professor. We all wish for the end of the semester and drag ourselves from the comfort of our beds to the reality of endless emails and night courses. We all endure the struggle of the average college student, yet somehow each of you raise me up. Thank you for ignoring your own issues to hold me while cry, encourage me when you are the one feeling down, and listening when I complain about the same exact class for the 700th time that day or possibly that hour. Thank you for lifting me up from my slumps and reminding me that life goes on and someday that bad grade will not matter.

“A friend loves at all times.” Proberbs 17:17

My family is forced to love me, or at least they are obligated to do so. They have seen me stomp my foot, scream in frustration, and flat out lie down and quit, but so have each of you. You have all listened while I whine, complain, and shout hurtful things. You have watched me embarrass myself, argued with me, wiped the tears from eyes, and literally put me in the bed. Thank you for seeing me at my worst and still thinking I am the best. Thank you for not holding the bad days against me. Thank you for supporting all of my ridiculous ideas and never calling me crazy, at least not to my face. Thank you for accepting my flaws and ignoring my bad habits. Some people are never lucky enough to find that one person that accepts their mistakes and silly quirks, but I found a whole group of you.

“As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.” Proverbs 27:17

I truly believe that every person we encounter is placed in our lives for a reason. There was a reason for chatting with the woman who had three running kids in the grocery store, smiling at the quiet girl at the back of the classroom, and sharing an elevator with a random stranger. There was a reason that God placed each of you in my life. There is a reason that all of our paths intertwined and mingled. There is a reason that our group has grown and never ceases to work through minuscule drama and immaturity. I believe that God’s reasoning for placing you each in my life was simply to make me a better person, though I am sure you will do oh-so-much more for me in the future. Thank you for making me, me. Thank you for “sharpening” me through our friendship. Thank you for helping me to grow in my faith and inspiring me to better myself every single day.

Thank you for allowing me to sleep in your room when that just hadn’t been my week. Thank you for sharing your last water, bag of chips, and granola bar. Thanks for literally carrying me when the night was long, lying on the floor while I cried, wiping away those tears, and forcing me to go home. Thanks for teaching me that who likes us does not matter because we like us. Thanks for forgiving me, even when I don’t deserve that, supporting my decisions, whether you agree or not, and tying my shoe when I’m too lazy. Thanks for bringing out the mom and the rebel in me. Thank you for making me laugh until I cry and singing to me through the outlets. Thanks for the constant reminder that nobody is any good or better than the rest of us. Thank you for teaching me the true meaning of friendship and giving me something that makes saying goodbye for the summer oh-so-hard. Thank you for being my very best friends. Thanks for being you.

Lastly, an apology. I’m sorry for all of the times that I have let you down and failed to pick you up. Sorry for not asking if you were OK, losing your necklace, and crying for no reason at all. Sorry for not always sharing my clothes, shoes, food, and pretty much anything we can get our hands on. Sorry for waking you up in the middle of the night, forgetting my fob, and allowing my inner brat to come out. Sorry for not always being the best friend in the entire world because that is what you each deserve.

Thanks to my girls and I love you all with my whole heart and then some!

We often find ourselves thanking our moms, grandparents, aunts, brothers, even our hairdresser, but we forget some of the most important people in our lives, our friends. I learned to be thankful through true and lasting friendship and faith. This is for everyone who loves and is thankful for their college besties and all that they do!