Dear Liz,

          Yes, it’s to you. You’re probably rolling your eyes as you read this.

          Every November, it’s inevitable; someone asks me the infamous question “what are you most thankful for this year?” This year I plan to give a lot of irritated sighs as a response… It was a rough year. But then, you already knew that.
          The real answer to that is easy. The amazing part about it is that it wasn’t even the entire year, just the last six months. Yes, the thing I’m most thankful for is meeting you. Wipe the smirk off your face; I’ll make you embarrassed by the end, just watch.
          That didn’t help at all, did it? You’re probably still grinning.
          I’ve had a lot of friends in my life; I’m the sort of person who is bright and bubbly and friendly when you meet them. My biggest issue with potential friends is that I wander away, after a while. I rarely form attachments to people, I don’t really trust anyone. I have that whole “expecting a knife in the back” syndrome. Long term friends worry; every so often I drop off the radar, not calling or texting, and not posting my thoughts online. When I get down or depressed, it’s a bad thing… I have no one I feel I can talk to. I turtle up and hide from everyone.
          And then I hit the worst time of it I’ve ever had, in my entire twenty-five years… I couldn’t breathe, or think, or move; it was just wake up, go to work, come home, sleep. I stopped drawing, I wasn’t writing. I couldn’t seem to make anything I liked. I was in hell… and then I met you. (This is the part that’s a little embarrassing, maybe.) You were like a breath of fresh air in a smoky room, or a ray of sunlight during a thunderstorm.
          I remember how it started, sharing a love of the Master Chief that made us downright silly and fangirlish. Chasing each other around on people’s comment pages, stealing my stuffed Bumble Bee back and forth like a couple of loons, not matter what the subject matter of the picture was. Joking about roleplaying that led to actual roleplaying; and learning that we could weave a damn good story together. You made me fall in love with Star Wars all over again, a fandom I’d fallen out of when none of my friends entertained it. Whatever artistic block haunted me for the last few years; it gave way next to your presence. You became a second muse, and have consistently inspired me to write, to draw, to think. When forced into a corner and told I had to choose between you and another, there was no question.
          I wasn’t willing to give you up.
          When I say I love you, it’s in that insane, silly, sisterly way; and it is completely true. You have never betrayed my trust, never given me a single reason to question you. You sign online and I get bouncy. Considering you’re a person I’ve entirely known online, and I’ve only heard on XBL, you’re still one of the best friends I’ve ever had.
          You cheer me up when I'm down. You get mad at the people who make me mad. You make me laugh when I think the walls are crashing down and I can't see outside the box, and I don't think I'll ever be happy again. You're patient when I'm annoying, and you laugh off my silly messages when I'm drunk and giddy.
          You're the difference between waking up because I have to, and waking up because I have something to look forward to.

          Every year, people ask what you’re thankful for. If you’re lucky, you sit around a table with family and friends, eating turkey and stuffing and mashed potatoes. I know I will be; it’s a tradition. Someone’s going to ask, and I’m going to reply honestly “my friends.”
          And under the table, I’ll be IMing you.

<3 Always,
                  Kitty