About a month and a half ago I had the privilege of celebrating my 22^nd birthday. In the grand scheme of things 22 years is absolutely nothing and many of you have lived a great deal longer. However, when you’re 22-years-old it is an eternity…it is literally all you know.

On my birthday I couldn’t help but think, “Where has the time gone!? It seems like yesterday I was walking into my first day of preschool or timidly taking the field at my first day of soccer practice…now I’m in my senior year of college”

As my mind traced its way through my brief 22 years of life I noticed that there were two permanent fixtures either working behind the scenes or right in the spotlight; my parents.

So, this is a letter to you, Mom and Dad. Thank you.

Thank you for not murdering me during those adolescent years where I, like many kids my age, viewed you as the enemy. It seemed like every decision you made was an attempt to stifle my growing desire for freedom. Now, I would like to thank you for, what I believed at the time to be, your strictness because now I see the lives of those whose parents let them run around like they had already hit adulthood.

Thank you for the endless money and time you invested into my days of youth soccer. Club soccer is financially, emotionally, and physically exhausting. I’m glad that I have two parents that saw my potential and believed in me enough to pay for 15 years of youth soccer. Because of your sacrifices I was able to go to college and continue playing the game I love.

Thank you for forcing me to go to church every Sunday, and sometimes on Wednesday’s, growing up. I may not personally agree with all of the teachings of the Bible or the actions of many of its closest adherents, but growing up in the church instilled in me a certain degree of love, humility, kindness, patience, and an overall love for and faith in humanity that has made me the adult I am today.

Thank you for supporting my adventurous nature and not shooting me down when I wanted to study abroad in Italy. You guys know my spirit better than anyone else and you knew how much an opportunity like the one I was granted would impact me in the moment and in the future. To date, the 4 months I spent abroad were the most incredible of my life.

Thank you for being incredible role models. No human is perfect, but ya’ll have done an excellent job of hiding your flaws from your children and being great examples. I don’t know if you all will ever understand the degree to which I look up to you and it is my hope to be half of the adult that both of you are.

I know this is nothing new. Most people have a moment in their lives when they realize how much they owe their parents and how much their parents have sacrificed in order to ensure their children lead a successful life. I realized how fortunate I am to have two strong and ever present parents in my life that have guided me and supported me all 8,075 days I have been alive. There is nothing I can do to repay all that I owe you, but I hope this letter comes close.

With love,

Your Son, Joshua.