As I write this, I'm sitting in the lounge area of my dorm at school. Six of my best friends in the world are playing ping pong, and, although Christmas decorations in Hope Hall are already up, Thanksgiving comes first, and I'm very thankful for my friends.

Admittedly, I can be kind of tough to put up with. They're cool with me anyway, and they put up with all my shortcomings. And, looking back, I've been blessed with some of the best people in the world these last few years. My apologies for being sentimental and nostalgic, but I don't deserve these people, and these people deserve the best.

I don't do it nearly enough, but I thank them today for who they are. For their friendship, for their personalities, for their faith, etc. At the same time, I thank God for them. Most of my friends are Christians like myself, and that ties us together on a level deeper than words can express. Thank God that I have friends who I have a deep relationship with.

So, maybe this is kind of dumb (OK, it definitely is), but here are just some of the memories I've had with some of my best friends (who can remain anonymous; they know who they are):

Dear _________, remember watching Shaolin Soccer in Japanese with Spanish subtitles? Those were the times.

Dear _________, remember when we created that music channel together and got 78,000 views on that one video? We thought we'd be famous.

Dear _________, Pad Thai? Let's get some when I come back home.

Dear _________, ____________, and __________, probably the most life-changing night of my life was with you guys. Thank you for being there for me.

Dear _________, my best friend since forever. Where do I even start? How about rooming together on every retreat, convention, and tour?

Dear _________, thank you for being my best friend at college so far. We have four years together ahead of us and I can't wait.

Dear _________, thank you for that 2 a.m. heart to heart. You're the chillest.

Dear __________ and ___________, you make for the best roommate pairing ever, and I love you guys.

Dear ___________, I miss seeing you for that one week last summer. Carlsbad hat and all.

Dear _________, I know you're reading this, cause you read them all. How bout that Grand Canyon trip?

These are just some of my friends that I've been blessed with and blessed by. I pray that other people would be as blessed as I have with the friends I have.

Happy Thanksgiving!