Thanks Hannah. It was under Chasing My Dreams. Title was My Motivation. It was about my mom and pop. I’m still trying to figure out how to paste the picture into here lol

Hi Hannah 🙂
Yes it was w the Unsealed. A letter I wrote won a contest. Got the most views. And yes, it was very cool. Thanks for reading it 😊
I can’t figure out how to paste it lol. I’ll try again later

Hi Lauren. Thank you so much for the kind words. As always 😊
Yes my mom and dad are always with me. And will be especially on Christmas. Sending you all that love right back to you 😊
Merry Christmas and happy Hanukkah to you and your family.
♥️
Jim

Hi Kayjah 🙂 thank you for the kind words as always. You’re very kind. Yeah this year was a mixed bag. Some not so good. Some good. But we do the best we can , right ? Tigger says thank you haha. And he says hi back lol. He’s a good boy.
Kayjah I hope your 2022 was good to you. And I hope 2023 will be even better 🙂
Thanks again. And merry Christmas and happy holidays to you !

Great stuff Lauren. I know that you deserve only the best. And if I know you well enough , you will get only the best. It’s what you do 🙂
Look out 2023!

Hi. Thanks Kayjah. If you take my unfortunate story and use it as something to learn from, that’s great. It was an eye opener for me. Thanks as always for the kind words Kayjah 😊

Of course Alicia. Your strength is very easily recognizable. Making difficult decisions is not an easy thing to do. Few can. But I think , while others reminding you certainly helps, you are certainly capable of making that transition by yourself, but also smart enough to lean on others to help you too. Your strength is clear. And will only grow 🙂

Hi Alicia. What an incredible and moving letter. To leave something after so long and something you wanted so much had to be very tough. Took a lot of strength. I’m glad you have that strength

Thank you so much Victoria. Much appreciated. Yeah I guess when I get down about something, I just think back to those days. Just to remind myself that life wasn’t always so challenging. And to enjoy the memories. I hope your need for a safe space gets met. You’re strong. I know it will 🙂

You’re very welcome Victoria. Glad I could help a little bit. An yes the unknown. It’s certainly one of my biggest obstacles. I’m sure for many. But persevering seems like the only choice right?
Thank you. Hope yours is a nice one 🙂

Hi. Great letter Victoria. Perseverance in tough times is a trait that not everyone has. Clearly you do. You should be very proud. I hope you have a great thanksgiving 🙂

Hi Alicia. Here is the letter I told you about. The one about my dad.just wanted you to see it. Im very proud of it. Have a great day 😊

Perseverance learned from the best
This is my story about perseverance, a perseverance I didn’t know I had in me. But as with many things in life, sometimes you find things out the hard way.

As I got older, and my parents got older, I knew that there’d be a day when the roles will be reversed,and I’d be the one taking care of them. When my mom passed in 2004, I made a pact to myself that I’d never let my dad feel alone.48 years with mom, I never wanted him feeling like he was by himself.
As dad got into his 80’s, things got tougher. For him of course. And for me. He developed Parkinsons and dementia in his mid 80s. Simple things-things that we take for granted like speaking clearly,remembering what he had for lunch,sitting down from the toilet- became a challenge. Again, for him. And for me. My brother and sister had moved to California, so it was just us. We always said “we’re a team”

The last few months of him living in his condo were very challenging for us. For me, it was gut wrenching to walk in every day and not be sure what kind of state he was in. Things we always enjoyed became less fun-like dinner,watching tv,talking sports. It became more of just try to get to the end of the day-more survival than living. The idea that I could see my dad have Parkinsons induced hallucinations,and come to his condo or the nursing home and meet the paramedics after another fall and still be OK after is something I wasn’t sure of. But all that happened. Several times. I know he was the one going through it all. But because I was with him every possible step of the way, I went through it too. I’m proud of how much I cared for my dad. It is one thing I will never regret. There is no manual for what to say to a parent when they see a cowboy on a blank TV screen, what to say when you say your dad “playing” some sort of card game or rolling dice while he’s in his wheelchair, to try not to be sad when his golf buddies would come visit and be sad because their friend wasn’t his 100% self. I persevere the years before that because if going to Kohls 5 times just to get a pair of pants that dad liked was necessary, then so be it. I persevere by learning how to have the same conversations every day, because its what Dad knew and was familiar with. But mainly I persevere because I had to. For Dad. And because he taught me how to for all of his 89 years, up until the very end. I learned from the best how to persevere through the worst. The worst meaning seeing my strong dad be maybe not so strong. And to try to keep a positive face as much as possible, even when watching my dad struggle was tearing me up inside. Years ago, I wouldn’t have thought I could see all these things and still be OK. He was my hero. My Little League coach. My buddy to yell at the TV during Browns and Cavs games with. But again, I did it. Because he did it. And we were the best team ever. Right Dad? “Right”. Thanks Dad

Hi Alicia
Wow what an amazing letter. What an incredible outlook. So incredible that you had so much responsibility at such a young age. Great advice. Not everyone is cut out for that kinda stuff. Clearly you are. Amazing 🙂
Jim

Sade,
What a great and amazing letter. The last two sentences speak volumes. “I can’t give up. It’s not an option.” That’s truly a sign of strength. Everyone close to you will recognize this and gain strength from it. And learn from it.