Dear Anna

Dear Anna,

Although you will never read this letter, I pray that God read it aloud to you in Heaven so that you know how much of a difference you made in my life.  We moved into that dumpy, torn up house right beside you when I was just 7 years old.  I will never forget the first time I remember seeing you; you were out raking leaves and had a fun bandanna wrapped around your head.  You invited me to come over and jump in your leaf pile, a fun event that would soon become a tradition every time you raked your leaves.  Then you would rake them all in a long line in the ditch and would let me stand with you and watch as you burned those leaves to dust.

You probably didn't think much of those days spent in our front yards.  But those moments meant the world to me as a young child from a dysfunctional family.  Our shared yard served as my retreat at times.  You were my calm, peace and I loved spending time with you.  Despite our age difference, I considered you a dear friend.

Anna, I want to thank you for introducing me to our church.  Without your invitation, I would have never spent weeks at VBS learning about Jesus, becoming close friends with those who would later lead me to a personal relationship with Him.  I credit you for planting a seed in me, through your sincere love for me.  You took the time to talk with me, teach me, and love me.  Thank you so much!

I will never forget your last few months of life on this earth.  My heart ached deeply when you became ill.  By that point, you were family to Mom and I.  We had spent many hot days raking leaves and many cold winters jumping in snow piles together.  I knew you on a deep, personal level.  You had told me stories of your difficulties, in losing your husband and son, and your joys; your children, grandchildren, successes, and love for Jesus.  Those nights where I would bring you leftovers from our supper meant the world to me.  Although you were frail and weak, you always invited me in and let me share my happenings of the day.  I hope that those moments were as special to you as they were for me.

I know that I will see you again one day, when God calls me to my forever home.  I hope God built our mansions side-by-side, so that we can catch up on lost time.  You will always hold a special spot in my heart, Anna.  Thank you for making such a difference in the life of a small neighbor girl!

With love,
Alicia

Dear Lucas

Dear Lucas,

I am so proud to be your Mommy!  You are the most handsome, energetic, and curious little boy I have ever met!  Even though your adventurous spirit sometimes wears me out, it is so neat to see you learn and develop into a smart young boy.

Right now, you're learning to be independent, so you're challenging everything that Mommy and Daddy say.  But it's important for you to learn that we are just giving you guidelines and boundaries in order for you to stay safe and to set a standard for the future.

We are trying our best to teach you to be a good boy and to love God.  I want you to learn to be respectful to those you're around and to have a big heart for others.  Most of all, though, I want you to love Jesus passionately.  I don't want you to just go through the motions of Christianity; I want you to have a personal relationship with God when you get older.  If you ever have questions about your faith, know that you can come to us and we will try our best to answer them.

Lucas, I pray often for your future; for the friends you will have, the girl you will marry, and the career you will choose.  I know that God has great things in store for your future.  Please lean on Him to guide you.  Choose your friends wisely, and ask God to provide you the proper wife.  I'm not sure what career you will choose, but I know if you keep your outgoing and fun personality and rely on God to lead you, you will surely succeed.  Work hard at whatever you do, as though you're doing it all for God.  Be a man of your word and always be an encouragement to those around you.

Please know that your Mommy loves you so much!  No matter what mistakes or bad choices you may make in your life, I will love you the same.  Everyday until I take my last breathe, I will be here to listen, hug, encourage, and love you.

I love you sweet child,
Mommy

Dear Travis

Dear Travis,

I am so glad that God brought us together, over eight years ago!  We've been through so much since you asked me back in 2005 if I would "go to prom and maybe, uh, date."  I am so proud to be married to you; I truly admire your loyalty, strength, and humor.  You are able to weather even the worst of storms like a rock, holding your composure and patience.  I am so proud of how you have handled my health difficulties.  You've been right by my side the whole time, nursing me back to health.  When we took our vows three years ago, I know that you truly meant the "in sickness and health" part of them!  I want to thank you for being so loyal and strong!  You work so hard to provide for our family.  And even though I often complain about you not spending as much uninterrupted time with Lucas and I as I would prefer, I am so fortunate that you are such a hard worker!  You also have an amazing way of making me laugh, even when I'm trying hard to have a lousy day.  Your wittiness and crazy sense of humor brighten each day.  You're also the best daddy in the world.  You have such patience and grace with Lucas and I love how you are teaching him to treat me with respect.  I know this will carry over into his dating relationships.  I'm proud that you are so excited to teach him how to fix things, handle money, and love Jesus.  I know that with him having a dad so involved and loving, Lucas will turn out wonderfully.  I just hope one day he becomes as great of a man as you are!

Thank you for loving me, Travis.  I thank God daily for placing you in my life.  I love you!

Alicia

10 Letters

Over the next ten posts, I will be sharing letters written to special people in my life.  I think it's so important to tell people how much they mean to you while you still have an opportunity, so that's my goal.  I will write the letter to many people that I care about; they've either inspired me, shaped me, encouraged me, or I've looked up to them.  After writing the letter, it's my desire to share it with them, if I'm able.  Here is the list of whom I will write each letter to:

1. Dear Travis
2. Dear Lucas
3. Dear Mom
4. Dear Danielle
5. Dear Montana
6. Dear Dad
7. Dear Anna
8. Dear Donna
9. Dear Tony
10. Dear Bev

I love You, Travis

You work hard all day, painting cars while cheering up your coworkers.  You work hard to provide me with all I need.  You call me during the day just because you know I like it when you do.  You are passionate about our marriage and are willing to work hard to make it succeed.  You always encourage me, even when my plans and ideas are silly.  You love God.  You look forward to being a great dad and teaching Lucas about how to be a good man.  You laugh at me and get me to laughing at myself.  You paint my toenails because I'm too fat to bend over.  :)  You try your best to understand me.  You're sympathetic when I've had a bad day and are always willing to listen to me vent.  You never quit anything you have started.  You look for the positive in everything and everyone.  You never judge others based on first impressions.  You come home after long days at work and work some more on our house and lawn. 

Travis, I am SO proud to be your wife!  Thank you for all you do!  I LOVE YOU! <3