Writers Workshop with MamaKat

The prompt I chose is... "Share a love letter"

So I did.

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Way back in 1999, I decided to write love letters to everyone that touched my life in a profound way. I did these letters in December of 1999, the last of month of the Millenium, and called them Millenium Letters. There were 30, and this is just one of them.

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Dear Zia

I have been meaning to write letters such as this for quite some time now. I know I write you little notes with pictures of the kids and call from time to time, but it just doesn't seem like enough anymore. I want to tell you what and how much you mean to me, and how much you have meant to me in my life.

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First of all, let me start by saying that I love you very much, just as I love my Mother. I can't help it, when I look at you, I see her too.

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My whole life, you have been a pillar of strength and reason. I have watched you become the matriarch of the family. You stand firm in your beliefs, mean what you say, and say what you mean. I admire you. You have beared the duty of nursing and loving your parents into peaceful rest. You didn't have to take care of them yourself, but you did. You have been blessed with an immearsurable amount of love and kindness. Zia, I know for a fact that you will recieve double reward in heaven for what you have done here on earth.

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I have great memories of staying at your house. I remember when we used to drive over to see Nana and Nonno, I would beg my parents to walk to your house to see you and the family. I would nag them constantly about when we were going to your house. To this day, when I think of San Pedro, it is your house that comes to mind... no one else's.

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Another day that I love to think about, is my wedding day. When I look at my wedding gown, even now, I remember that you painstakingly tailored my gown, on the inside of the train, that no one would see, BY HAND, because you didn't want me walking down the aisle unless every detail was perfect for me.You will never know how wonderful that made me feel. That small gesture of love has stayed with me and always will. Bill is sick of hearing about it every year on our Anniversary when we watch our wedding video.

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When I came out of my room with my gown on, I really wanted to know what you thought. You said it was beautiful. I know you meant it, because if you don't love something, you don't say anything at all. I love that you are the only woman in my wedding album, besides my Mama, that I posed with.

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I love your smile and laugh. We need more laughs in the world like yours. I love it when you think I am being obnoxious and you say something like "Oh yeah, Sandra??" or "Youa talka to youa brotha Sandra?" Did you know I can do your accent and voice almost perfectly? It's one of my many talents. Ha ha! (please don't take offense to this... I LOVE that my family has the most lovely accents, I wish I had one, I just LOVE listening to everyone speak English... it reminds me that you are who I come from)

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Now that I have a family of my own, all the lessons I have learned from you have been flooding into to my memory in the past few years. The number one lesson is that "When I close my door at night, the people in my house are the ones I am supposed to worry about and think about first."

From time to time, when I find myself stressing about something, I always hear your voice say that to me, in my mind. Here are some other things I have learned from just watching and listening to you...

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1. Learn to cook well, and cook for your family.

2. Love Unconditionally

3. Put my marriage and husband before my kids.

4. Be playful with my husband

5. Always have cookies on hand, and ALWAYS put them on a pretty plate when serving them.

6. Always put a table cloth on the table for dinner.

7. Always have coffee ready to make or brewing.

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See how many areas of my life you have touched? Some sound funny, but they still ring true.

There are so many ways I have to remember you and love you, I just don't have enough paper.

If you ever have doubts whether or not you have touched someones life, please know you have touched mine.

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Thank you for loving me, and my family. Thank you for being there when I needed someone to talk to. Thank you for being a voice of reason in an otherwise unreasonable time.

Thank you for loving my Mama and being there for her.

Thank you for staying married, even when things were tough.

Thank you for crying when you needed to.

I love you, I love you, I love you.

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Your niece,

Sandra