A single mother received the following letter from her 15 year old daughter. Mum had been severely abused by her husband and had left him when her daughter was just 4 months old. In the 15 years after that she'd seen many ups and downs.
After being single for 15 years, mum fell in love again and with her daughter moved from the security of friends, job and a home in Idaho back to California to be with him. Sadly things didn't work out. With the relationship crumbling and unable to find work mum approached her 15 year old daughter about moving again. She dreaded asking her, knowing the disruption it would cause after her daughter had just settled into a new area and a new school. Indeed, with all this "failure" in her life it would be easy for this single mum to believe that she was an abject failure as a person and a parent. Her daughter had her own perspective to offer. The same night she approached her daughter about moving mum found this letter under her pillow.
Dear Mom,
I'm writing this letter, not as a daughter but as an admirer. I have been studying your movements and actions for the past 15 years. I have been very lucky to have you as the person I must observe. I have learned so much being your student. I have learned responsibility, loyalty, love, patience, stress control, cooking 101, the processes of decision making, how to squish the little green worms on flowers, but above all I have learned to love unconditionally.
You might ask yourself why the criminy would I choose a person like yourself to have as a role model. Well, from the first sight I could tell that you were a strong, open minded, independent and free spirited individual. Along the course of these 15 short years, I have found things about you that make me love and cherish you even more. Now, I must warn you, some of these things are so little that you wouldn't even think, and you might even hope that no one would ever pick up on. But little did you know that I have been taking notes all these years and I believe you said yourself that nothing ever gets past me! so here goes!
These are just some of the little things that fit together to make you the person you are.
Okay, now, it's my turn to be the daughter. I just want you to know that no matter what comes of our lives that I will always love and respect you. I have never and will never think that you have made a mistake because I know that you would never do something without truly believing in it. I have always felt safe having you around.
I always find comfort in knowing that you are right down the hall if I ever need you. I want you to know that whatever we decide to do that I have faith, knowing that you are in the lead. I know that God had a purpose in bringing us to Chico, it might have just been a life lesson, but I have faith that this was not a mistake but that it was just part of the big scheme of things. I love you so much and I have learned from the best teacher that support is a key thing, and I truly support you and admire you for everything you are! Love always and forever,
Ashley Bug
Source: Reported by the mother concerned at Heartwarmers4u.com.
Applications: appreciating people, encouragement, children, family, mothers, parenting, gratitude, strengths and weaknesses, success, failure.