To: Tasha

Also known as:  Uch or Tasha Lindsey Marie Antoinette

I was trying to make this something other people would be able to read and understand.  But its kind of hard to explain how my 6 year younger sister sometimes ends up being the more grown up one of us.  How the baby of our family usually ends up being the one who translates all of our secret languages and gets us to resolve our issues.  How even though our lives have been drastically different from the other's our whole lives so far (you in elementary school, me in high school...you in high school, me in college and studying abroad...you in college and studying abroad, me married with kids), you find a way to make the difference in our everyday dramas not seem so vast.

What it comes down to is that you listen.  You always make the time to just listen to me.  You listen to me complain about dirty dishes not being loaded in the dishwasher right by a husband that won't do like I asked.  You listen to me talk about baby boogers, my dog's ticks, and our bedtime monster problems.  You listen to me talk about saving money, organizing volunteer projects, and paying bills.  You listen to me talk about which font I like best, how I can't understand how people still take issue with gay people getting married, and why I think our house would be a good landing ground for alien spaceships.

When something makes me laugh, I call you.

When something makes me frustrated, I call you.

When something makes me nervous or sad or anxious, I call you.

I am always calling you, because you listen.  You'll listen no matter what I have to say.  And  you make me feel like whatever it is that I feel like I need to say at any given moment is important.  

I don't know if I am the one that does that for you- makes you feel like what you have to say is important -but I hope you have someone that does.  And if you don't, then I'd like to be the one.

So now that you, my baby sister, are on the edge of a new, big chapter in your life (she's graduating from college this weekend, ya'll), please listen, once more, to this, Uch:  You can do anything.  And whatever you think you should do in your life is the right thing to do.  You've got good guts, so go with what they tell you.  I am proud of you and will always be proud of you.

love you a million kit kat bars,

tab

ps. scf

ps2. Dujour means family