Dear mom and dad,
As you know I live with orphaned children here in Ethiopia. I live with children who come from super dark situations. I live with children who are cami’s age and remember what they have been through. I live with children who have never met their biological parents. I wanted to take some time to write a letter to you about what I’ve learned, how I’m thankful for you and how I’m sorry.
First off, I want to apologize. I’m sorry for complaining. Ever. About anything. Today I watched some of the kids tie a rope to a wooden board. They would have one person kneel on the board and the other pull them around as fast as they could. They were the happiest kids in the world with just some wood and rope. They are so thankful. And I remember times where I would be upset because my ski boots didn’t fit right. Should I really have spent so much time dwelling on my stupid boots? No. I should have taken the time to appreciate the fact that my parents were gracious enough to take me on a ski trip. Next, I want to say I’m sorry for ever guilting you for having me watch cami on a Friday night. Because, I would give anything to see her right now. Thank you for giving me her. Lastly, I’m sorry for all the dumb things I ever lied to you about. Or any dumb thing I ever did. You did not deserve that. You always provided a safe space to be honest but I didn’t realize how precious that was.
Living here with the kids I live with, I’ve learned how important family is. I’ve learned this through others who don’t have family. I’m going to write out a conversation I had the other day with a 10 year old boy.
“Where do you live?”
“I live in the United States.”
“Who lives with you?”
“I live with my mom, dad, sister, and brother.”
“You know them?”
…“You know them?”
He asked if I know them. I know that some of the kids here had never met their moms or dads. But honestly, it hadn’t really crossed my mind that some of them might have siblings they have never met. That blew my mind because Cami and Alex are my absolute best friends. Cami loves to follow rules but behind closed doors she is a crazy little woman. And she is the most beautiful child I have ever seen. Alex is the most confident kid I know. He’s very cute and he knows it. And he has some of the best hair in the world. These seem like small things to know about them, but the fact that some of the kids here don’t even know where in the world their siblings are is heartbreaking to me. You have done such a good job of showing the importance of family to us. I’m so excited to come home and hang out with everyone again. Some of my favorite times are with you and Cami and Alex. I love going to the movies as a family. I love family dinners. I know I always acted like family time was a chore but it’s one of the biggest things I’m looking forward to.
Growing up you always told me “we are your parents not your friends”. I know this was to ensure I didn’t take advantage of you. But over the past two years you have been the best friends I could ever have. And I want to thank you for being exactly what I needed. You have always made sure I had someone to go to when things were hard for me. You have laughed with me and cried with me. Some of the things that have happened over the past two years for me have sucked. I know you don’t like that word, but I think it explains things well. Some things just straight up sucked. But those sucky things really brought us together. You were always on my side. You have never stopped asking “how can I help?”. Every time I talk to you about someone they all say the same thing. People say “your parents seem like the best”, and they’re correct. You are the absolute best. You are my best friends. You will always be the people I come cry to. You will always be the people I can’t wait to tell good news. You will always be my people.
I love you so much.
I will see you in 49 days… IN THAILAND!
