dear mom and dad,

Dear mom and dad,

Thank you for listening to Billy Joel and James Taylor when we were growing up. Whenever I listen to either it floods me with such warmth and peace that I cannot begin to describe. I think it’s sort of funny that we listened to that rather than children’s music, hymns and Raffi and all that, which is supposed to be developmentally helpful. But I think that good music helped me develop. I will listen to good, soulful music with my children as they grow up because I think that the good music we listened to as little kids gave me a good taste for music as an adult. You also instilled me with a love for classical (mom)—Pachelbel’s Canon, George Winston, and oldies (dad)—all we listened to in the station wagon. I still know most of the oldies that ever come on, though I don’t know their names.

Thank you for having me so soon after you had Hannah. I know that those years when I was just a little thing and Hannah was a kooky toddler and we had no money were probably very stressful at times. You have both said that you made a lot of mistakes, but I don’t really see that looking back. I’m more thankful for her than almost anything, and I’ve loved coming up right behind her. She was a good one to follow. Today she took me to Target to help me register for baby stuff, an event which would have completely unhinged me had I to do it alone, but that she made fun. She has become the best thing—sisterfriend—and it started such a long time ago when you corralled us to become playmates.

Thank you for not making me play sports. A lot of people I know had to play a sport growing up even if they didn’t like it. I understand that that was a way to keep a kid healthy, but I was not athletic or particularly competitive so you just let me sing. I think that’s what kept me healthy really. I felt so proud and beautiful when I sang with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. Somehow we were always healthy too, probably because of running around the neighborhood enough to offset the homemade chocolate chip cookies and Breyer’s ice cream we had most nights after dinner.

Thank you for having one more kid, and dad, thanks that he was a boy. I know that at first I wasn’t overly enthusiastic about his presence, but it’s crazy how much I fell in love with my brother. He is the most kind, wonderful, sensitive, kindly disposed person and I love that he got your family’s height, mom. I loved when people thought we were twins in college because he had started swimming again and his hair went blonde. I’m so glad you had a boy, dad, because I think you did such a great job showing him how to be a man.

Thank you for never dieting, for buying one percent milk instead of skim, kielbasa, and hot dogs. Thank you for taking us to Disney World before and after Kyle was born, and then again when I was in college. Thank you for letting my hair grow like wild weeds. Thank you for working for Young Life, to teach us the value of relationships, Jesus and money. Thank you for having big dogs so we were never afraid. Thank you for making Hannah and me share a room. Thank you for letting us play outside until after dark in the summer. Thank you for teaching us how to dive (mom) and change a car tire (dad). Thank you for loving Mark and Josh, our dogs, our kids, born and unborn.

Mostly thank you for the tradition of opening stockings on your bed on Christmas morning, which now includes our husbands.

I love you.

Ginny