Okay, this is a bit sappy, but i feel like i need to share it with somebody.
Ever since she was very young, my mother dreamed of going to Paris. Poverty, followed by college, marriage, family, and every day life got in the way.
My mother and father both came from disfunctional, largely-illiterate families in poor neighborhoods of Boston. They paid for their own education and married the year my father graduated. That was 1968. My brother was born a year later. They’re still married today.
My parents both worked hard to give the best they could to their family. That meant making a lot of sacrifices. Once, it meant my dad taking a job in Ohio because it paid better. Another time, it meant my dad not taking a job in Atlanta because it would take him away from his family too much. Over the past 30 years, my parents have gone, through luck and through work, from working class to upper middle class. Whereas in many cases this would be the product of parents spending all their time at work and none with my family, they always had time for my brother and me.
In 1997, i had the good fortune of being able to go to Europe, thanks to my luck in being on an athletic team deemed worthy of international competition. Since the competition was held after the school year was over, my parents gave me the money to spend an additional three weeks abroad, no questions asked. I got to live my mother’s dream of going to Paris before she did, and i made the most of my time there, learning as much as i did in four years of college.
The year 2000 has been very good for my family. I took my first “real” job as a web designer in San Francisco. My brother and his wife bought their first house. My father has a great new job. In short, my parents have a lot to be proud of.
But my mother still hasn’t been to Paris… until now. I can’t think of a better way to say thanks.
Thanks for letting me share.