we win by tenderness. we conquer by forgiveness. -f.w. robertson

a somewhat final thank you letter to my best friend

i hope you know

that when i tell people they’re like you

it’s one of the biggest compliments

i could ever give.

i smile every time i think of you,

i always will

even if those smiles

cohabitate with tears.

you’re too good.

every time i think of the things you did,

i break you into a

“before”

and an

“after”

two different people

because there’s no way

my best friend

could’ve hurt me like this.

you taught me that i could be loved.

period.

no strings attached.

and i’ll never be able to tell you

how much that means.

but i hope you know that i’ll never forget.

because of you,

i cry

and

i laugh

i smile through the tears because that’s what we did together.

you taught me to see the good,

and well,

you were my good.

you were my only good thing for so long,

but you brought me to other good things

good people.

you made sure i would know i was loved,

even after you were gone.

i still don’t know how you took all the broken parts of me

stitched them together with hope

made the pieces into a life worth living

into someone who finally saw they were worth loving.

all i know is that even if we didn’t make it in the end,

i would go back and do it all again

in a heartbeat.

so thank you times one million.

i hope you know

just how wonderful you really are.

and even if we’re never what we once were,

i hope with everything in me

that every good thing finds you

for the rest of forever.

i love you.

love,

ellie