Thank You Mom and Dad
Thank you for encouraging me to be myself. As cliché as it sounds I understand more than ever that many people don’t get that type of support at home.
Thank you Dad for teaching me that youth is an attitude and getting old is a choice. At 53 you’re one of the youngest people I know, including many of my peers. Thanks for teaching me to be silly and weird. And thank you for teaching me what it means to be a reliable hardworking person.
Thank you Mom for teaching me not to put up with the world’s crap. Thank you for teaching me to stand up for myself no matter what and not be afraid to be called “loudmouthed” or “sassy” or whatever else people call unafraid Latinas. Thank you for teaching me that it is important to care for myself and to persevere with my goals. Thank you for never letting others make us feel like we didn’t belong.
Thank you both for showing my sister and I that you are imperfect. Thank you for showing us that sometimes you might throw tantrums or start fights for no reason. While in the moment it’s not fun, in retrospect it makes us less scared to be real adults because we know that adults are also people just trying to figure life out. If you were perfect we’d be scared out of our minds because we’re not. Thank you for showing us that it’s okay to make mistakes and how to make the best of them.
Thank you for this. I know I could never have done this without you. Thank you for sacrificing so much and for never giving up on me. Thank you for telling me that yes, it was going to be hard, but no, my dreams were not impossible. And they weren’t. They couldn’t be, not with you by my side.
Much love,
Ellie
