Day 156 Question 156:

If you were to write a letter to your parent(s) TODAY what would you say to them?

I chose this question because last night I watched a documentary called Being Elmo.  It was this amazing story of one man’s journey into the world of puppeteering.  This man fell in love with the work of Jim Henson and he fell in love with Sesame Street and The Muppets.  The entire documentary was so heart-warming because as a viewer I was able to see someone with such great passion that had the encouragement every step of the way from his parents.  His parents saw this gift that he had and instead of telling him not to “play with dolls” that pushed him to follow his passion and use his gift.  It was truly touching.  It made me start to think about my parents and all of the things I would like to say to them.  I decided to do a letter form in hopes that one day I will print it out and give them both a copy (when the time is right).  So here it goes:

Dear Mom and Dad,

I am not exactly sure where to start.  So much time has passed and we are all getting older.  I remember so many memories of my childhood like it was yesterday.  I feel so lucky to have had the childhood that I did…and that is all thanks to you.  You both showed me what wonder and curiosity was all about.  The amount of things that you have taught me is limitless.

Throughout the years I have rebelled and tested the limits way too much.  I have acted out in anger and I have treated you with such disrespect and it makes me cringe and it saddens me down to my core to think I could have ever done that.  You gave me life and you have done nothing but tried to protect me and guide me.  I know the past is the past but an apology for any and all of my ugly behaviors is long overdue…I hope you are able to accept it.

When I look at my life and the person I have become I see so much of the both of you in me.  I guess I wasn’t switched at birth like I have always thought (wink wink).  I have this extremely sensitive side and this urge to just love and want happiness for others.  I get that from you mom.  People are able to fall in love with you after only moments of meeting you.  You are easy to be around because the love and the silliness and the kindness just shines from you.  I have a part of this in me but I am unable to have it with the same ease that you do…maybe one day.  I, also have in me quite a fire.  I definitely get this from you dad.  You may be quiet and shy to some but deep down you have a greater passion than most people.  We may not always be on the same side when it comes to politics or our points of view but we both are extremely passionate about what we believe in.  Although our opinions may differ, it was you that taught me to stand up for what I believe in.  It was you that taught me to learn about the world and do things for others.  It was you that taught me to see life outside of just myself.  This has been my favorite part of the journey so far.

I wanted to write this letter to say one million plus thank you’s for everything you have done for me.  Thank you for allowing me to become the person that I have and encouraging me every step of the way.  Thank you for setting rules and boundaries even though I constantly fought them.  Thank you for being kind, loving and generous parents and teaching me to not take what I have for granted.  Thank you for teaching me humility, compassion and empathy.  Thank you for not letting me be an only child (hahahaha).  Thank you for teaching me that love comes in many forms and it is something that should never be taken for granted.  Thank you for being patient with me when I was never patient with myself or with anyone for that matter.  Thank you for lifting me up when I fell and didn’t think I would be able to get back up.  Thank you for challenging me and not always giving me the simple solution.  Thank you for believing in me when I didn’t believe in myself.  Thank you for showing me the real meaning of beauty.

I could go on for pages and for days thanking you both for everything you have ever done for me and shown me throughout this wonderful life.  Not every moment has been beautiful but every moment has been an experience I have learned and grown from.  I have you, the two people that gave me life, to thank for that.  The people in your lives are so lucky (and yes I guess I am completely biased) because you are both such genuine and kind people.  You don’t see the superficial things in life or strive for material possessions…you seek out relationships.  That is such a beautiful and rare thing to find in people nowadays.  Because of this I have focused so much more on relationships and so much less on materials (even though dad might say my closet tells another story-wink wink).  In life I want to build relationships and I want to learn about humanity.  I want to hear about the journeys of others.

I should probably stop here or this will end up being the longest letter in all of time.  The main thing I wanted to tell you both is how much I love you and how truly lucky I have felt over all of these years to have you as parents.  I am not always able to express myself in vocal word because I just can’t seem to get the words out.  I wanted to take this opportunity to tell you how I feel and to say thank you for guiding me throughout life, supporting my choices and showing me what happiness is.  You are the two most important people in my life and I am so blessed and I love you more than I can even express in words.

Your Daughter,

Diane