Dear mom and dad,
I find myself being relieved that you've been spared from having to see the world that Neal and I are growing up in, because you would be appalled at what it's becoming.
I have absolutely no idea what dad would have to say about this joke of a presidential candidacy alone, but I know for sure it would involve a lot of F words and probably a lot of classic lines we'd be referring to for years to come.
The election is nothing, however, in comparison to how you would have felt about these mass tragedies. These situations that have impacted large quantities of people which force us all to stop in our tracks and come together as communities and remind us what is ultimately important and what is not.
I will never forget the looks on both of your faces when I got home from school on 9-11. It was in dad's driveway, and I was standing there watching your car pull in, waiting to hear what you'd have to say. You were both silent, mom looked sad and angry at the same time, and you both just grabbed us and hugged us before saying a single word. Because you didn't have words, and for the first time ever, you couldn't shield us from what was only the beginning of the horrors of this world as we would come to know them.
Mom was always the emotional parent while dad was the reasonable, level-headed parent. You balanced each other out. While mom showed us through both happy and sad tears how beautiful and devastating this life could be sometimes, dad usually had something wise or thought provoking to say about it. While mom's solution to heartbreak for Neal or myself would have likely been hugging us as she cried with us, I remember two very specific instances where dad's level-headed logic to our pain helped us to gain perspective that we would not likely have been able to see for ourselves.
When one of us was having difficulty with the end of a relationship, dad's response was "you're not going to get over losing your mother in a day and you're not going to get over this in a day. It's going to take time." When one of us was dealing with toxic negativity, dad's response was "You could have a room full of 10 people, and even if 9 are positive, one negative person is going to bring down the rest of the group. You have to separate yourself from it." I wish I knew what words he would have for today.
For selfish reasons, I still am curious to know what your take would be on the state of the world as it is, especially on this very day. Within just a year, Neal and I have both been in very close proximity to the location where two of these crazy mass shootings have occurred. I can't imagine how scared you would have been had we not picked up our phones right away or responded to your texts. I'm thankful you never had to experience even a second of wondering if your children were okay in a situation such as this, because I'm certain that second would have absolutely destroyed you.
I will never understand people or their motives or why the world has become what it has. I will never understand these senseless acts of hatred and violence. But my heart tells me that while you'd both agree that the events of today and other recent tragedies have been horrific, you'd also both encourage me to see the good in people; in humanity. The people lined up for miles to donate blood, or the people who are finding other ways to make an impact. You'd see that line of people as proof that there is still good in this world, and you'd encourage us every day to be part of that good and not allow ourselves to be jaded by the bad.
A friend of mine posted today, asking how she is supposed to explain to her five year old what is happening in our city today. She explained their plans for today were to unplug from all the tragedy on their televisions and phones and computers and to show their children that there is still love in this world, and it starts in their home. Neal and I are so lucky that we were raised under a similar roof. Because of the way you loved us throughout your lives as our parents, we will never be able to doubt that love exists in this world. And we will always go to sleep at night knowing that no matter how much hatred is out roaming the streets, we were only ever taught how to love people.
