Loved

The world is a crazy place. People are killing. Mother nature is killing people. There is turmoil in so many countries. There are so many people in this crazy world without water, food, shelter, and education - without so many things that I take for granted everyday.  I want to take a moment to show gratitude to the two people who have given so much to me. They have supported me, loved me, and provided for me [without judgment, despite my falls, and to no end]. Although I may be halfway across the world from you both, you are never far from my thoughts and are always near and dear to my heart.

*Mom and Dad

Celine really says it all. My parents were always the best parents (still are). They weren't the kind of parents that did a half-ass job. They were the kind of parents at every soccer game, at every race, at every THING - spelling bees, chorus concerts, science fairs... really, they were ALWAYS there - no event was too small. They didn't just go to events nearby, they would drive however many hours to be somewhere so that they would never miss a thing. I had soccer tournaments in Virginia, Pennsylvania, DC, NY, and even Canada. No matter how far, they were there. They were always the parents volunteering to drive my friends when their parents couldn't be there. That's just the kind of people they are.

Looking back, it seemed normal to me that my parents would dedicate so much (if not all) of their time to driving me everyday to soccer practice, to games, sitting through games, going to meetings at school, helping me with projects, taking us on trips. It isn't normal, and not everyone's parents were doing that. Every weekend was somewhere different with soccer tournaments. If it was a rare weekend with nowhere to go, they were hosting a slumber party. When we would wake in the morning, my parents would have donuts, bagels, juice, and my mom's delicious home fried potatoes and fruit salad waiting to greet us! I never would have expected anything different. They were and always have been so giving. Whether it was car rides, money, clothes, or time.

As I've grown up, my father is more of a silent cheerleader. He only questions me when he feels he really needs to, but even when he doesn't say much, I know he cares. He is the most hard-working man I know. He goes early to work in the morning to offer extra help to his students (free of charge, of course). He stays late grading papers. He coaches everyday - even the weekends. He is the kind of teacher/coach that takes so much pride in what he does. The fact that the government wants to cut spending on education, take away things they were promised and are entitled to, etc. is unfair for so many reasons, but it's certainly heartbreaking and cruel to people like my father who have dedicated over 30 years to being a teacher, a mentor, a friend, and to many students and athletes, a father figure. I am not saying that there aren't teachers that go in there and don't teach a thing and have the students trade papers so they don't have any grading of papers to do later (I have had some of those teachers), but they shouldn't be representative of the profession as a whole. Students of my father's from years back will still call, stop by the house, etc. to see what's up, get advice on which college to choose, or to invite him to their weddings.

My mother was also a great teacher. I can't tell you how many people I have met that have said, "Oh, Mrs. Reabold, she was my favorite teacher!" The reason I loved her being a teacher was because it meant she had the summers off (dad, too!). We would go to the beach everyday or swim in our pool. She is the kind of woman that would take my sister and I shopping and never even look for herself. She's so unselfish. I think sometimes she should be a little bit more selfish! My mom has always been the cutest person! She would sneak post-its with words of encouragement or a simple "love you!" note into our lunch boxes. When I was in college, she would always send me cute cards with a gift certificate to Starbucks or something inside! Whether I had received a good grade or the semester was almost over, I could always expect a cute card in the mail! I loved that! My mom is the kind of person everyone wants to be friends with because she is bubbly, funny, and kind (not to mention beautiful!!). She is one of those people who can always cure your bad day with a few sweet words. I really have an endless amount of nice things to say about my mom (and my dad, too!).

Overall, I have lived a truly blessed life. There is nothing like the feeling of knowing you are loved. With my parents, I never had to doubt that (even at my worst). Thanks Mom and Dad! You rock!



                                  xoxo your baby girl :)