the best email

every once in awhile i'll send my parents a link to something i wrote... not my entire blog or anything but if it's a reflection on the holidays or something i'm particularly proud of writing for some reason, i'll pass it along. anyways, i sent the christmas post to my mom and dad. usually i don't hear back from them. i know they're just busy. if i do, it's usually a one liner... so of course, it caught me by surprise to get this email on monday morning in response... but in the best way possible.

great words for the new year.
and once again i am realizing how lucky i am in my own life and how grateful i am for everything that i have, especially amazing parents.

i'd be in a much different world without them, i know that for certain.

from my dad, january 5, 2009.

Amy,

So it's back to work and the short-lived unfamiliar has quickly become familiar again. Phone calls, emails, sales opportunities... blah, blah, blah. It was in the middle of catching up when I came across your email, and it reminded me, again, as to how fortunate we are to have you as our daughter.

Thank you for the note, the sentiment, but most of all your everlasting awareness and appreciation for all that is around you: places, events, people, the experience of life..Fr. Reagan, one of my high school teachers, used to repeat over and over, "time is what's happening while you are waiting for something to happen." In others words make the most of the moment, and you certainly know how to do that. In fact you make the moments happen.

It was nice being with you over the holidays. The annual trek to "A Christmas Carol" started the season off in perfect seasonal tradition. Thank you for taking us. The season would not be complete without a visit with Scrooge, Tiny Tim, and all the spirits. Best of all, we were able to share it together.

Home should reflect this season and always represent love, safe haven, and acceptance. Decorated or not the door is always open and we look forward to your next visit. The line in a Christmas Carol, "...(Christmas) is a time, of all others, when want is keenly felt, and abundance rejoices." carries a message that, at first, seems all too obvious. When you think about it, it could refer to spiritual beliefs, social awareness, or the need for family and friends. Home is abundant with love and is there to be shared with all who want to partake.

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year!

See you soon,

Love,

Dad