I never say this enough to you guys, but thank you. You are the ones that keep me grounded when I feel like it’s impossible to grab onto something solid. You are the people who are there for me even when I say I don't want you to be (you know I don't mean that, right?). You're some of my very best friends in this world. I have never adored and been so aggravated with a group of people so equally in my life. This letter is a shoutout to you for dealing with my random mood swings, bizarre behavior, and overall occasional unpleasantness. If I didn't have you all in my life, I don't want to know how I would have turned out.

I was grateful for you all before, but I took your constant presence for granted the first 18 years of my life. When I moved away to school freshman year, I was completely thrown off. Yes, I knew there were weekends. Yes, I knew that there were going to be long breaks. But what hit me the hardest was not seeing the day-to-day routines I normally took part in. I missed the dinners spent either at the dining room table or at the diner, the time spent lounging on the couch with our dogs, even the bickering between us kids. It didn’t matter if those moments were good or bad, I missed every memory from home while I was up at school because of you all.

Although I still feel some homesickness this year, it’s not quite the same. It’s not a matter of missing you less; it’s the fact that I know you'll support me the way you did last year and all of the years before that. I know for certain that you'll answer my calls at any time of day or overnight FedEx me something I desperately need from home if need be. You have my back unconditionally.

My appreciation for you has grown over the years because the older the get, the more I realize that no one will ever truly understand the way I am or love me the way you all do. I count my blessings everyday that I am a part of a family as close as ours. College has only reminded me how grateful I am for the house I grew up in with the people I love most.

Sincerely,

The only person in this family without a name that starts with M