jackash.com
A Personal Journey...
... Of Surviving the Wilderness
When my daughter graduated from high school I was inspired to write a letter to her by a story I had read in a 'Chicken Soup for the Soul' book. Accompanying this letter I also included my A-Z Guides to a happy life. With her permission I am pleased to include the letter on this site.
Dear Bailey;
Although I have told you verbally, I wanted to write you a letter and tell you how proud I am of you. I am proud of your numerous accomplishments that include your recent graduation from high school, your top fine arts award, your work on the yearbook, your plays and your continued success at your job.
But most of all I am so very proud of what a wonderful person you have turned out to be. Friends and family alike have remarked on how polite you are, your respect for other people and what a joy you are to have around. As you get ready to enter the next phase of your life I can’t think of any better abilities to start out with.
I know how much your mother was afraid that maybe she wasn’t doing the right things and was always fretting and stewing and worrying that she wouldn’t be able to handle your teenage years. She didn’t want you to go through what she did during her young adult years.
As a teenager you may not appreciate what sacrifices your mother has made to give you the best opportunities she could. Only when you are our age and have children of your own, will you fully understand what a wonderful job your mother has done in raising you. When that day comes you will want to call her and say thank-you. Don’t wait! Go over to your mother right now, give her a big hug and tell her it’s a down payment on the thank-you that you will owe her - twenty years from now.
As parents we often wonder – did we teach our children all that we could? Did we prepare them enough to survive on their own? Did they learn from our mistakes? Did we do all that we could do? No matter how often you tell us you are ready, a parent’s natural protective instincts never leave them
Preschool
Grade 2
Grade 4
Grade 1
Grade 3
Grade 5
Grade 7
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Grade 11
