Hello there! Yes, you, you know who you are. You, the boy who stands out in the crowd. You, the boy who makes everyone around you smile. You, the boy who brightens people's days and brings laughter wherever he goes. You, the boy who seems to be skilled at every sport in existence. You, the boy whose kindness seems to know no end. You, the boy whose faith and love of God inspires countless individuals. You, the boy who is willing to give up his time in service to others. You, the boy who "always" made me cry. This is for you.

So, Mr. Boy-Who-Always-Made-Me-Cry, I have but one thing to say to you. Thank you. You might not have known, but crying was something that, growing up, would make me feel uncomfortable and even ashamed. Often times I hear people talking about how stigmatized crying can be for guys, but I feel like that stigma is not something particular to guys alone. I was afraid that if I cried in front of others, then people would think I was too emotional or too childish. It was something that would affect my confidence level and hurt my self-image. I am saying thank you because you helped me to celebrate my tears as something worth cherishing. You showed me that crying isn't something to be ashamed of, rather, it is a blessing and a gift. So...

Thank you for the tears. Thank you for every single tear that I shed with you. Tears of sadness, tears of joy, tears of confusion, stress, hopelessness, peace and more. Every last one of them. Whether you were around me when I cried or if I cried after you left the room, with each tear, I grew as a person. Not only have you helped me mature and discover new things about myself, but more importantly, you were one of the people who helped me get through some of the toughest moments during my freshman year of college. I genuinely do not believe I can ever adequately thank you for your friendship, your time and for making me cry so many times.

Thank you for embracing me through my tears. Whether I was crying out of excitement for making it onto a retreat after being on a waiting list for weeks, or if I was tearing up due to the stress I was feeling about my time at Tulane thus far, you were always there holding me up and reminding me that crying isn't an imperfection.

Thank you for the tears of love and mourning. Do you remember the time you sang the song "Cinderella" after I explicitly told you I cry when I hear it? Well, then I'm sure you also remember me crying in front of you as you sang that evening. The song describes a man's love for his daughter as he emphasizes the importance of cherishing his time with her knowing one day she will be gone. What you probably didn't know was that just as the singer's real daughter passed away, someone quite dear to me had also passed away. In fact, I had recently returned from his wake and funeral. Whether you knew this or not, the tears that came from that song helped me process those recent events, and to comprehend the vastness of my love for this man and his family, but even more so, the love he showed to me. Those tears, while my soul still misses and mourns his passing, helped me cope with the reality of his death and the incredible love I felt from this man.

Most of all, thank you for the tears of sadness. Thank you for being someone whose moving away brought me to tears. I can still see you walking into the boardroom and giving me the news that you were being sent somewhere new. Despite the bittersweet feeling of the moment, because I knew you were going where you needed to be, that night I cried out of sadness. It was the kind of sadness that comes with losing someone important. In the words of Winnie the Pooh, “How lucky am I to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.” Those tears made me realize how much your friendship meant (and still means) to me and how fortunate I was to have someone like you in my life.

Thank you for teaching me to embrace my tears. You made me a more confident person by encouraging me to see my tears as a gift instead of seeing it as "being a baby" or "embarrassing and childish." Because of you, I have learned to cherish my tears and my peculiar form of expression, rather than looking down upon myself for crying. You taught me to not be afraid of crying or running to others and especially the Lord for comfort.

Thank you for changing my life. Meeting you was such a surprising blessing. I remember first hearing your name and being prepared to make small talk and move on with my life. However, I never expected to meet someone whose friendship could overwhelm my soul so greatly. I can honestly say that the tears you brought me helped me overcome some serious obstacles in my way and, as a result, I am enjoying life much more than I was before. I would never have guessed that my heart could have been so moved within a period of only four months. Honestly, I don't know if you are ever going to read this, but I hope you will. Therefore, when you do read this, I hope you understand how much you mean to me, and how thankful I am for the impact you have had on my life. Also, even though our friendship expands way beyond a collection of times I cried, those were some of the moments that meant the most to me.

So, to anyone else reading this who feels uncomfortable with your own tears: I am with you. Tears are such a blessing in disguise. They have carried me through the greatest and worst moments of my life. Cherish your tears and the memories they carry with them. However, cherish even more the people who bring you to tears, for they are the ones who will shape your life forever in ways that you will never expect.

With all my heart and God’s blessings,

xx Chloe