Best.

Let me paint you a little picture:

Middle School. First week of school. 7th grade. Quiet, awkward, new girl who knows no one in the whole school.

Sitting in math class (Algebra 1) with lots of 8th and 9th graders, and only about five 7th graders.

All of the 8th and 9th graders leave for an assembly, the 7th graders are left to work on an assignment.

Our dear awkward new girl sits next to the wall, quietly working. Then out of nowhere, a small (4'10") Asian girl pops up and loudly, slightly crazily introduces herself. It may or may not have been terrifying.

And that was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

Yes, I was the awkward new girl and yes, Charity was that crazy Asian.

So... basically she has been my best friend since that day. We're going on our 9th year of friendship. I know that doesn't seem like an extraordinary amount of time, but consider this: that is a little less than half my life that I have been best friends with the same person. Also, most of those years were middle school and high school and we are still friends. I don't know about your high school, but people didn't stay friends that easily in mine. The people you were friends with in 7th grade, you look back on in your senior year and are amazed that you ever got a long with them.

Basically, I've never laughed so hard, cried so hard, been so crazy, laid about doing so much nothing, or been able to do so much nonverbal communication than when I'm with Charity. She's made me who I am. Without her, I definitely wouldn't be nearly as outgoing. Or funny. 

I have never met someone who has overcome so much adversity and still has this incredible faith and love for life. Charity is strength. I legitimately do not know how she handles her trials and I look up to her so much. She is the greatest example of selfless love. She never thinks about herself (sometimes to a fault), but she always has concern for others and she has this 6th sense where she can just tell when something is wrong. I love her with all of my heart and I don't know who I would be without her.

This is us:

She is the sister I never had. The best friend I didn't know I needed. And I don't know what I would do without her.