Dear Mom and Dad,

I want to say thank you. These past four years have been one big whirlwind of challenge, excitement, and many, many memories. As I reflect back on my high school experience, trying to think of something meaningful to say about it, the only thing that really sticks out in my mind is you guys. You are the ones who have supported me through all of it. All of my accomplishments, A+ grades, Division I awards, Mock Trial wins, and more, could not have happened without you.

How do you thank someone who spends numerous hours with you shopping for the perfect prom dress, who graciously says “yes” whenever you ask them to edit a paper, who practices your direct examination with you 50 times so you’ll have it memorized, who runs to Hy-Vee with you in the middle of the night for a tub of ice cream, who stays up until two in the morning wiping your tears and who offers life advice? I do not know the answers to any of these questions. But I do know this: you guys are more than just my parents, coaches, or editors; you are my best friends. Somehow, you managed to take parenting, the hardest job on the planet and perfect it.

There are two main gifts each of you have given me. Mom, you taught me how to be reliable, to stick to my commitments, and  to see things through to the end. You also taught me how to be weird, which is so important. Dad, there is no one else in the entire world who can truly make me feel better when I am sad, except for you. You advise me, reassure me, and make me feel like everything will be okay.

Thank you. Thank you for everything. In the words of Audrey Hepburn in Sabrina (1954), “I shall always love you for sending me here. I have learned how to live. How to be in the world and of the world. And not just to stand aside and watch.”

Lizzie Leu

News Writer