A Letter to the Young Man who Changed my Life

My Dear Friend,
 Oh, how I wish I could tell you how highly I think of you, how much I love you. How I wish I could show you how much you've changed my life. How I wish I could tell you these things.

  The other day, I was driving you home. Another young woman - a close friend of mine - proposed that she sit in the trunk of the car. We had many people coming with us and she worried we would not have enough seats.
   But you wouldn't let her. You walked over and told her, "No, no. You can't do that. I'll sit in the back of the car."
   She shook her head. Surely she thought of how long your legs are and how uncomfortable it would be for you to sit in the trunk of the SUV. But you insisted again. "No, no." You insisted. "It wouldn't feel right if I let you sit back here."
   We ended up having enough seats. No one had to sit in the trunk. But I watched this whole encounter from the back of the car as I was popping more chairs up. I didn't think much about it, besides it being chivalrous, until I got home. Then the young woman and I talked online.
   What I had not realized when I first watched this encounter ended up changing my life. Later that night, I realized that something about you changed when you spoke to her. You somehow had more authority. You were bolder. You glowed. You were different.
   Over the next two days, the girl and I dug into this mystery. We cried, we pondered, and we finally got an answer.
   What we realized was that something had not necessarily changed about you, it had merely shown itself.
    I have known you for four years. You are one of the most influential men in my life. You have been there for me, regardless of my issues. Sure, I had seen glimpses of something similar to what I saw that day in you and in our other young men friends. But that day, I saw it in full splendor.
  That day, I have come to realize, I saw a son of God. It isn't that I had never seen you as a son of God before, but that day, I saw that you knew who you were. I saw your identity - an identity that you understand and embrace - in full splendor. I saw a son of a King, a true man, a being of light and potential before my eyes. It isn't that it wasn't there before, but that day, you let it glow.
    I have always seen you as a brother, a close friend. That day, I saw you as a son of God in full spectrum. And equally significant, I saw something else. The way you treated my friend was like how you would treat a queen, a goddess, a treasure. And I realized that you could see something we tend to deny - beauty and our identity as daughters of God. I realized that you, because of your testimony and knowledge of your own identity, had been blessed with the same honor and respect that God holds for women. Because I know that you know who I am, even when I don't, and that is beautiful.
    I cried. I've wanted to cry over and over again. I've cursed Mormon boys before. I've cursed life. But after seeing you and the other boys, I just want to give you a twirly hug. I want to cling to you for dear life, because sometimes I feel like you are the only good ones left. I don't know why God was so sweet and gracious to me, but for some reason He sent me Heaven's finest sons. And oh - how I love you! How I love the way you use your priesthood! How I love your testimony! How I love the way you live! How I love the way you treat me! Oh, my friend, if only I could express the feelings in my heart right now...I would just explode. Whatever woman gets you for eternity is getting someone truly divine. Whatever children you have are going to be cherished, I just know it. Whatever people come in contact with you will leave changed, because I have.
    Thank you for changing my life. Seriously.
-Julie