Bill writes a letter of love and appreciation to his daughter, who is now ten and a half years of age.
October 28, 2003~
Dear Ronee':
I look at you today, and my mind flashes back to when you first entered our lives as a tiny babe, and my heart is at once overcome with love and admiration for you. You have triumphed over impossible odds, and you have proven to be courageous in your never-ending fight to be accepted by society. In only ten short years, you have touched the lives of many with your courage and spunky, outgoing personality.
Ever since you first entered our lives as a tiny, helpless, unloved waif needing security and a chance to succeed, you have managed to surprise us with your ability to survive, and you are still surprising people today. You have grown from a scared, sickly child into a beautiful, talented young lady teetering on the edge of young womanhood, and you have been given an incredible singing voice; and you are a young force to be reckoned with in your drive to become a bright new star in country music. You shine with Christ-like love, and you have a compassionate, loving, giving spirit about you; and you are a testimony of God's Healing Grace and Love.
I realize now just how much you have been struggling to overcome your past (and present) health problems, and I know it isn't easy, but you rarely complain. (If you DO complain, then we KNOW you are MUST be feeling badly!) You just grit your teeth, pick yourself up, and move on, and you always seem to have a smile on your face or an upbeat attitude about yourself. You are a little fighter with a warrior's spirit, and you are such a positive influence on all that you meet.
Ronee', I wish I could take away some of the pain from your JRA, and I wish you didn't have to wear braces upon your legs or walk with the aid of crutches, but you are able to walk, and you try to keep going, even despite incredible pain. I also wish you could breathe easier, and I wish I could ease your breathing problems when you have an allergy/asthma attack, but in reality, you have improved so much with your health, and every year, your list of allergies grows smaller and smaller; and hospitalizations for severe asthmatic episodes have become fewer and far between than in the past. You used to go to the emergency room every week with your breathing; now it's maybe once or twice a year--IF that. It has been a while (several years, in fact) since you had your last full-blown attack, and you have progressed so far beyond your doctors' expectations since you had your stroke (nearly three years ago; God, has it been THAT long already? God, how time does fly!). I look at you, and I never cease to be amazed. You are the epitome of a TRUE "survivor", and if anyone could ever ask what a true survivor is, or looks like, all I have to do is pull out your picture! You are a Miracle Child a hundred, no, a thousand times over, and you have been such an inspiration and blessing to both your mother and myself!
I can't believe you are going to be eleven years old in just a few short months already! It seems like only yesterday when mommy was dragging you across the preschool parking lot while you screamed and kicked; now you are a very bright fifth grader who consistently brings home straight A's in all her classes, and it is obvious just by your grades just how much you enjoy school!
We have learned so much about you, and we have learned much FROM you. You are a good little teacher, and you have taught us in a way that no teacher can ever do about compassion, perserverence, unconditional love from the heart, what it is like being intellectually gifted, and about life as a chronically ill child, and that even though there are days where you look fine on the surface, you let us know that you are NOT feeling your best, and you tell us so in a simple, yet direct manner. We do NOT mean to hover over you like two mother hens, but with all the things you have had to go through in your short life, sometimes we CAN'T help ourselves. If we EVER overstep our boundaries or smother you, by all means, PLEASE tell us or let us know, and we'll back off and give you the space you so desire and leave you be until you cool off. Is that okay with you? If so, then it is okay with us!
You are a very unique and charming young woman-to-be, and at times, I wish I could keep you at the age of six or seven forever, but I now know that this is physically impossible, and so we have to let you continue to grow and to mature. We now know that you are currently in an awkward position: too old to be considered a little girl, but too young to be considered a teenager; and you must be having a million questions, or unfamiliar feelings right now. I know it is a scary time for you, and I know you are worried about those first dark hairs that are appearing on your armpits and are starting to worry about starting to smell, but Honey, ALL kids go through this when they enter puberty. You are NOT alone in this! We went through it ourselves, so we know of the fear and anxiety you are currently feeling. We can tell you what will happen because we have lived the puberty experience; we know what it was like, even after all these years later.
I also know you are worried about that special time when you get your first period, or if you'll get it (you are nearly 11 now, but you haven't had your period, and you have friends who have gotten it at the ages of nine or ten), but while I really can't tell you much about it (as I am your dad; fathers, as a whole, don't kow much about menstruation or that type of stuff), you CAN ask your mother about it; she'll be more than happy to answer any questions or concerns you might have!
I also know that you are worried about sex and boys; but Ronee', you have your whole life ahead of you. You shouldn't worry about boys or sex; you are too young, and you should enjoy what is left of your rapidly declining childhood! We will tell you about sex and/or boys when we feel you are ready; and right now, we don't think you are.
Whatever questions you may have about these subjects, please do come to us; we'll answer any questions you may have. We may not answer them right away, but I promise you this: when we feel that you are ready, we WILL answer your questions--and that is a GUARANTEED PROMISE! We may not always know the answers you are seeking, but we WILL try to answer any questions you may have to the best of our ability!
I also know that you have questions pertaining to your being adopted and what your racial background is. Now, as for your questions pertaining to adoption or BEING adopted, we do not know much about your birth parents other than what our attourney, Mrs. Houston, has told us (your adoption records are sealed), and what we DO know of your parents is that they were probably unsure as to how to handle you because you were born so early (and so sick), but I am sure they felt that they were doing what they felt was best for you, and I am sure that they cried BUCKETS of tears over their decision to give you up and give you to another family they felt could handle your special health concerns better. I am sure they still miss you as much now as you do them, and I am sure they still love you, too, just as we do. Being adopted is NOTHING to be ashamed of, and you are our daughter, now, always, and forever, even though you were born to a different mommy and daddy. We love you more and more every day, and we can't imagine our lives without you; you have been nothing but a blessing to us, and we are so happy you are our daughter!
Racially speaking, this question is much easier to answer. You are mostly Acadian ("Cajun") French on both your biological parents' side, but you also have African-American, Spanish, Native American Indian (Cherokee), and Irish in your bloodlines (on your mother's side of the family; your daddy was pure Cajun French). You are a unique mixture, and you should be proud of your interesting heritage. This is why you are so dark-skinned with black hair and black eyes, but now matter WHAT you are, you are still very beautiful, and you only grow more beautiful as the years go swiftly by.
Don't EVER be ashamed of being adopted: You are OUR daughter, and we will ALWAYS be there for you, no matter what! We couldn't have asked for a better daughter than you, and we only love you more and more each passing day!
Well, Mugwump, I hope this letter makes you realize just how much you mean to us, and I hope with all my heart and soul that any questions you may have had were answered in this letter; and I hope you know that if EVER you have a question you need an answer to, or have a problem that needs solving, you can ALWAYS come to us! We'll do our very best to help you, and if we cannot help you, you know you can always turn to your teacher, your pastor, or to another adult you know and trust; or better yet, you can ALWAYS go to the Foot of the Cross and ask God to help. You KNOW He will be more than HAPPY to help you!
Thank you, sweet Ronee', for nearly eleven years of love, joy, memories, and laughter! You are truly a blessing from God, and we are so happy that you are our child! We couldn't have asked for a more loving and compassionate young lady! You are our angel, and we love you so much, much more than words can ever say!
I love you, Mugwumps! God bless you mightily, Sweetie!
~As always, your Old Broken-Down Daddy.
X0X0X0X0X0X0 (Hugs and Kisses!)
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Reviewed by serenety L
11/7/2003
Oh Karen,
this is beautiful. I love this letter. I can imagine how happy a child is when she/he gets such a letter from the father.
Excellent.
Nico
Awesome letter! Not many parents write letters
like this anymore! This is a keeper! It is going into
my library!
Glad you are back! Darn old virus!
Love ya!
Becca
Reviewed by Kate Clifford
10/28/2003
beautiful loving letter. Would it be nice if parents wrote letters like this to their kids? So many children would feel more loved then they do. Great write. Nice to see you back! :-)
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