They say it takes a village to raise a child. At graduation everyone turned to my parents and said, “Well, you did it” or, “Congratulations, you made it through.” What people forget is that it was not just my parents who raised me. I also had my village: my parents' friends, my friends' parents, my parents' coworkers, my teachers, our neighbors, my coaches, and every other adult who made an impact on my life.
Thank you to my best friend's parents who treated me like I was one of them.
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Thank you for taking me in and creating a home when my parents were away. Thank you for the endless advice and unconditional love. Thank you for keeping my secrets and for talking through problems I couldn’t go to my parents with. Thank you for keeping my parents sane when they wanted to ground me for life. Thank you for drinking endless glasses of wine with my mom when life was too much. Thank you for being a second family to me.
Thank you to my aunts and uncles who created a loving family.
Thank you for teaching me family values. Thank you for allowing me to sleep on your couches and for always having chewy chocolate chip pancakes ready in the morning for me. Thank you for loving my parents even when they were less than lovable. Thank you for reaching out to me on the hardest days and making me a priority when I needed it. Finally, thank you for supporting my parents through life.
Thank you to my parents' friends who I have known since day one.
Thank you for showing me the importance of friendship. Thank you for showing me how to love. Thank you for showing me that value of marriage. Thank you for encouraging me and leading by example. Thank you for continuing to act like you’re 22 years old with my parents and keeping them young. Thank you for jumping on a plane whenever my parents decide to take a spring the moment vacation. Thank you for being with my parents for the past 30 years and continuing to be there every day for them and me.
So, thank you, thank you for not making my parents go it alone. Thank you for sticking it out when I went through my dramatic middle school years. Thank you for being there for my parents and for me. Thank you for keeping them sane over the past 19 years. Thank you for the endless encouragement and free meals. Thank you for being such role models for me to look up to. Thank you for being you and for being my village.
