Thank You

Tonight I settled down to a pepperoni pizza with hot sauce, a pepsi, and My Super Sweet Worldwide. (I think that's what it's called...?)

Often we watch those shows and feel like the parents are doing their children unthinkable harm. I have felt that way several times, and as this 21 year old British kid walks outside his manor to a lawn lit up by fireworks, I thought back to July 2006.

I had just come back from Germany. I was feeling a little weird to be back in the states, and one day, everyone I knew and cared about showed up on our lawn. It was the biggest party I could imagine.

The afternoon was filled with food, live music, and catching up. At dusk, everyone dragged a chair to the front yard, where a huge fireworks show lit up the night.

I look back at that moment and realize that, as children, we can be a joy to our parents, and I, guiltily, wonder if I am truly a joy to mine.

Living my life as it feels it should be lived has taken me all over the place, not just geographically. I have gone from ideology to ideology, from being an all-star student to barely scraping by, and now I live in Mexico City.

I know my parents love me and are proud of me, and I hope they know how much I love them. Things may have been rough the last few years, but I thank them for their love, their patience, and their understanding as I take the road less traveled. I thank them for their allowance to let me test the waters, to expand, and to learn.
I know that I wouldn't be who I am today without their love.

Thank you, Mom, for always having a lap where I can rest my head. Thank you for discerning when I am trying to hide my pain and letting me express it.

Thank you, Dad, for being a father who says, "I love you." Thank you for helping me through sticky situations and keeping me above the water.

Love, always,
-Buster