Day 19: Mama
Expressing gratitude on a regular basis is good for our health, and certainly for our mood. Studies have proven it. But it seems expressing appreciation to others, through a letter for example that is read out loud to them, provides us with even more happiness. So I asked the kids to choose someone and write a letter of gratitude. Zayd wrote to Nunno (Day 16), and read the letter to him in person. Nunno laughed and beamed just at the thought of it, even before he had said a word. Saanya wrote the letter below, and read it to me this afternoon. I'll let you guess my reaction.
Guest blogger: Saanya
Dear Ma,
When I think of the word gratitude, you are the first thing that comes to mind. Not just because you are writing this blog or because it is a value that you have worked so hard to try and instil in Zayd and me for years, but because there is nothing in the world that I am more grateful for than you.
You are my confidant, my shoulder to cry on, my strength, and my best friend all in one. And while I may sometimes take for granted all that you do (because I am a teenager and well…I’m a teenager) you never fail to make me smile and fix whatever is on my mind, whether it be a headache or a rough day.
You have been there for me through every mean comment at school, through every bad grade, through every long history assignment, and through the most trying of times, without a complaint or the credit that you deserve. You have been there to pick me up when I'm down, to tell me that everything is going to be OK so many times that I might actually begin to believe it, and to make ice cream sundaes and dance around in pj’s after a long week of school.
Lately I have been obsessed with a show called Gilmore Girls and have been watching episode after episode. It is about a mother (Loreli) and her daughter (Rory) and their lives in a small town in CT. They have this special bond that is deeper than their matching blue eyes. They know what is on each other’s minds and how to make each other happy. While you and I don’t have the blue eyes, nor do we live in small town CT, you will always be my Loreli, my best friend, my mama.
Love,
Saanya
Day 19; Gratitude 19: Mama