You told me once that I was the strongest person you know.
I want you to know that my strength pales in comparison to yours.
You have a smile that comes back despite every ounce of bad news tossed your way.
You have shoulders strong enough to carry the world even if you think you’ll fall under the weight.

The world is never against you.
It may stack trauma upon trauma against you, but you never blame the world.
You are not full of self-pity, nor do you accept anyone else’s.
You keep walking, one full stride after the other even if you have tears running down your face like streams collecting in a pool at your feet.
But even as the water begins to rise, so do you.
It never drowns you because you are one stroke ahead of it and you are such a good swimmer.
You may duck your head just under the surface, but only long enough for the noise around you to quiet, your thoughts to gather, and your strength return before you come up for air ready for battle.

You’re crass, but never mean.
You’re sarcastic, but never rude.
You laugh at yourself more than you laugh at others and you never allow yourself to be laughed at, rather laughed with.
You touch the lives of the people around you in only positive ways.
They say that our fingerprints never fade from the lives we touch and yours will only be removed from my life when my life is removed from me.

You are never afraid to speak your mind nor back down from an argument.
It’s like your brain is a typewriter, but every word it writes eventually makes it way to the tip of your tongue.
You don’t tell people what they want to hear, rather what they need to hear.
But you say it with such force that it is impossible not to listen to you.

You are my map.
I constantly look to you for direction when I am lost knowing you will lead me the right way.
When I take one step on the wrong path, I know your voice will come and tell me to turn back.
And when I take a step in the right direction, all I hear is your encouragement.
You brought light into my life when all I could see was black.
You hold me up when my legs turn slack and I can’t function on my own.
You are the reason I have spread my wings and flown.
You are the reason I have finally come into my own.
I would be lost, broken, nothing without you.

You have such light in your eyes that it could put the sun to shame.
Your future is so bright you can’t see it because you’re too busy shielding your eyes from its light.
You are witty and capable,
Quick on your feet,
And open to new adventures.

You taught me things you aren’t even aware of.
Like how life can be so cruel, but there is something positive in each day.
The sun coming out after a cloud of rain.
The waves crashing into the shore relentlessly.
The first step after a long bout with chemo.

You recognize that the smallest things are what’s most important.
Handwritten notes and movie marathons with friends.
Baking in the kitchen at midnight before a long road trip.
Taking that picture just because you’re there and it’s a decent shot.
Jumping into a waterfall on a hot summer day.

You take things in stride.
Failing grades never matter as much as you think.
Eating that last cookie even though you really shouldn’t because none of your clothes fit.
Standing up when everyone and everything tries to knock you back down.

You are the light at the end of the tunnel.
You are the stars that brighten the night sky.
You are the best thing about every single day.
You are everything to me.
A shoulder to cry on,
A laugh when I need one,
Optimism when I feel like quitting.
You are the one person who can make me laugh until it hurts.
You are the one person who I can match outfits with from different states.
You are the one person I can always count on.

We may be different books, but we are always on the same page.
You have been more than just my friend.
More than family.
More than blood.
(Platonically speaking that is.)