To The Friends Who Will Always Be More Than Family

To the ones who know all our secrets. The secrets we’re ashamed of, the secrets we couldn’t tell anyone else, the secrets that hold our deepest insecurities, fears and weaknesses. To the ones who know all of our secrets and protect them like their own. To the ones who know everything we’re ashamed of but still think we’re incredible. To the ones who taught us that it’s okay to be ourselves and still feel loved, appreciated and accepted.

You will always be more than family. You will always be the source of our happiness and the source of our healing. You will always be the glue that held us together when we were falling apart. You will always be our angels that once saved us from ourselves.

To the friends that gave us the home we never had. They gave us comfort, they gave us security and they gave us love. They gave us a feeling we never felt before in our own homes. They made us feel like we belong. They made us feel like we’re important. They made us feel like we matter.

To the friends that gave us memories all over the world. They helped us plan the trip of our dreams. They helped us get our dream job. They helped us achieve a goal. They supported us when we had nothing. They believed in us before the world knew who we are. They gave the confidence we failed to give ourselves to pursue whatever we desired. They gave us the life we always dreamed of.

You will always be the ones who truly gave us a life worth living. A life worth remembering. A life filled with moments no one else was able to recreate. Magical moments we never thought we’d live and moments that took all the pain and worries away. Moments that made us forget that we were hurting or broken or suffering. Moments that made us hold on to life because you are in it.

Our families bring us to life but our friends are the ones who truly make us live it, appreciate it, fight for it and cherish it.

To the friends who gave us the family we never had. Thank you for all that you’ve done to make us feel accepted. Thank you for giving us a home. Thank you for loving us. Thank you for filling our hearts with joy and exhilaration every time we’re broken.

Thank you for constantly reminding us that you’re not going anywhere. That you’ll always stay with us. That you’ll always stick around even when our own families give up on us. Thank you for being everything we hoped for and more.

Written by Rania Naim