Happy 35th Anniversary, Mom and Dad!

December 12, 2010

Dear Mom and Dad,

First of all, a letter of this nature wouldn’t be complete without saying congratulations on 35 years of marriage! More than that, though, this is a letter of thanks. Thank you for meeting each other. For loving each other, trusting each other, and learning to grow together while accepting each other’s faults and celebrating one another’s strengths.

Thank you for raising me up in this world with love and affection. There has never been a day of my life (teen years not withstanding) that I have ever felt unloved by at least two people in this world—regardless of my faults and missteps. You taught me that nothing is insurmountable in this life as long as two people love one another. Thank you for forgiving each other. Nobody is perfect. When we’re children we assume that our parents have all of the answers. That their parents imparted upon them the knowledge and wisdom of generations and generations of parents before them. But as we get older we learn, unfortunately, that in this world things are often more gray than black and white. I realize now that you didn’t have a road map to guide you through the early (often times probably scary) years of raising a child. But you had love and you had a shared commitment. And that was enough of a light to guide you down those sometimes unlit paths of matrimony and parenthood.

Thank you for supporting me as a boy and even now as a man in my interests and pursuits. Thank you for attending all of my basketball, football, baseball games, and tae kwon do events.

Dad, thank you for teaching me how to throw and catch a baseball and a football, how to shoot a basketball, shoot a rifle, throw a punch, take a punch (you know what I’m talking about), play tennis, and for showing me how to be a man. I know there were days when it would probably have been easier for you to come home and rest after working 12 to 14 hours a day than to go outside and play catch or 1 on 1 basketball. But you did it. And I’ll never forget. You were and always will be my hero.

Mom, thank you for encouraging me to read, to make believe, and to imagine the fantastic and unbelievable worlds I could see so clearly in my mind. Those worlds have grown with my imagination because of that consistent support. Thanks for allowing me (and even helping me) to build tents in the house on rainy days. Thank you for letting me explore the world outside and be a boy, even though I know I scared you sometimes when I’d show up long after the street lights had come on. Thank you for being the loving, caring, always involved and always interested mom that every kid wishes for. Everyone I know who meets you loves you. You have an unbelievably big heart, and I thank you for passing that kindness on to me.

Thank you both for giving me a sister to love and be proud of. She was often a shadow and a built in play mate, and I am forever grateful for that. I tried to teach her lots of stuff when we were kids, but I’ve learned so much from her as an adult.

Thank you for teaching me to stand up for myself and those weaker than me. Thank you for teaching me how to treat a lady, how to respect my elders, and to help people who sometimes can’t help themselves. Thank you for working so hard at jobs that weren’t always glamorous to provide Kim and me with the things we needed and wanted in this world. Thank you for showing me how to be a good parent. I try my hardest to honor that every day.

A miracle happened the day Deby met Charlie. A kind of magic. And that magic continues to grow in us, in our marriages, and in our children. The spirit of that magic will live on as long as we honor the most important thing you’ve taught us: Love.

With all of my heart, I love you both.

Kris