A Great Day of Emails

Like everyone else, I receive several emails per day and on the days I only receive advertisements I feel pretty sad and lonely. Today I received a handful of emails from people I actually know. Two emails in particular really made an impact and even gave me a sense of elation and joy regarding the current, and presumably the future, state of my life.

Leigh wrote to me late last night on the East Coast of the USA so I received the email when I got online between classes this morning. The email started by saying, "I just wanted to write to let you know how much I adore you. :)" Not a bad start, eh? She then said how proud she is of me and how I inspire her with my ambition to live life to the fullest. She also said how excited she is for us to start our adult lives together (real jobs, a home, etc), a subject we talk about pretty frequently these days because we are 3,500 miles apart.

Last night, after learning that I am traveling solo to Morocco for a few days in April, my father sent me an email telling me to be careful and not buy any hashish from anyone. I replied saying I was doing research and would be careful, not to worry. This evening I came home to this email:

"In case you wonder when I will start trusting your instincts, I have since you were three years old.

In case you are wondering when I will stop loving you and worrying about your safety, never on this earth and I doubt when I am in Heaven.

In case you wonder if I would rather have a daughter who never left her home town and clung to just the familiar; absolutely not. I am very proud that you grab chunks of life when you can... I think we agree that you only get one ticket for this ride so better enjoy it.

Love,

Dad"

OK, so the cheese factor is present and accounted for in both emails, but these are the kinds of messages that give a girl the boost she really needs. There have been times this year when I have felt truly guilty for having so many opportunities and for taking such full and unabashed advantage of them, then I get messages like this reminding me that life is a gift that should not be wasted, especially not for the sake of vanity. When I have these wonderful experiences I have them for my whole family, my current and future friends and my future children. The more I learn and grow the more I can offer to those in my life and the more I honor the people who have played a role in my development.

For me especially, messages like these are incredibly important due to my difficult past with family situations. The message from Leigh is very important because we have not had a perfect courtship. In spite of all of my many flaws, one of them being not so great at marriage/being settled/remaining stationary, she can still see my better qualities and cherishes me as a friend first and foremost. What's more, she sees these qualities sometimes even within my flaws and relishes in them, something that must be essential for a marriage to last, don't you think?

My father's note tells me that, while I may not be any semblance of the daughter my mother had hoped for, I am exactly the daughter my father wants me to be today. Even though my family may be fragmented and often sounds like a sad story, I have a handful of strong, loving relationships to keep me going and the strength of those relationships gives me the hope and courage to attempt to form bonds with new acquaintances.

I don't mean to go on with my mushiness, but I wanted to share the positive impact that these two messages have had on me today. I also want to encourage any reader(s) to be open with the people they love and tell those people what they mean to you. In the end we all just want to feel like we belong, are loved, and are cherished by others; whether it's only in a small way by a friend or to know that you complete another person's life. It seems cheesy and, yes, sometimes might be a bit awkward, but I suspect that we are all looking for some encouragement from those who are close to us.