Dear Jessica and All the Other Children I Had the Joy of Meeting and Playing with,

Although you can’t even read this yet, as you are still learning your abc’s and 123’s in Spanish, I just thought you should know how much you made me smile. The very first time I met you, you gave me the biggest hug your little arms could manage and then you took my hand in yours and led me to your classroom as if I was supposed to be with you all along.

Every single day we came into the school, you or one of your many friends would welcome both Kailynn and I with open arms and the biggest smiles. During recess, you guys would show us all your cool tricks on the monkey bars, and then just come and sit by us, or more so, on us for that matter. There was never a dull moment with you, as you were either holding my hand or climbing all over me as if I was the actual playground. You never had a care in the world that we couldn’t speak your language fluently, and it was because of you, that it made it so easy to come to a new and foreign place feeling completely at ease and wanted.

I and so many other adults need to learn a few things from you and your other friends about how to be as wholehearted as you are. Besides your eagerness to just play, create, and learn; you also carry with you a complete and utter delightfulness- and it is not just that smile of yours (although that does wonders too). You were never there to judge us, and in actuality, you just accepted us, as we were. I hope you continue to grow, learn, hold on to your wonderment and stay golden.

Inspired por You,

Kristen

Dear Sara My New Sister,

I never thought in a million years that I would be a part of your crazy adventure of finding your birth mother, but like you said yourself, “you never know what is next with me,” and I am learning that is not far from the truth! I am still in awe of what happened with your journey, and because of that, it has taken me a couple of days to even process everything and come up with the right words to write you.

First of all, thank you for opening up to Kailynn and myself and allowing us to take a part in this huge life endeavor of yours. I know that must have taken a lot of courage to share your experience with two other crazy girls (as I am sure you now realize Kailynn and I both are). Also, the tenacity you have to actually take the necessary steps to do what you set out to do in the first place and really accomplish it is astounding to me. I know not everyone would have had the bravery to do what you did, especially with the constant setbacks that you had to overcome- such as the language barrier, the questions from various people, and your own fear of the “what will happen when I actually meet them?”

I can only imagine what you are feeling as of now, since you not only met your birth mother, but you also met many of your other family members. I am sure you are feeling quite a lot, whether that is tired, confused, happy, or a sense of accomplishment at this moment in time.

I wish I could just go to the store and pick you up a big pint of Cherry Garcia Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream to help ease the feeling of being overwhelmed, but since that won’t really work here, I just want you to know that besides finding your birth mother, you have found yourself another sister from the United States J I am so happy to have met you, and I will always look up to you for your bravery, determination, and positivity throughout this entire experience of yours.

Inspired por You,

Kristen