Truly Appreciative: Almost there...

As I near the end of 25 Truly Appreciative letters, I couldn't help but look back and wonder what my true motivation was for the project. For people that know me, they know I am not an outwardly emotional person; I haven't cried in almost ten years and could probably count on two hands the people that I've said, "I love you," to in my life. And for that reason, I had to do this.

I had to tell the people that mean the most to me how special they are. I have all these dreams and aspirations in my head, yet could I ever accomplish one of them if I'm not able to tell someone what they mean to me? And as the letters have shown, it's almost never a mushy I love you that I wanted to say. It's showing my thankfulness, my appreciation, for what these persons have done for me.

Looking through my list, five of the letters were to my closest family members, fourteen (not including family) were to people affiliated with the Presbyterian church, two were associated with Major League Baseball, two with John Mayer (included John himself), one with politics, and another with education.

That is my life in a nutshell: family, friends, baseball, music, and faith.

I have three letters left to write this week. One to my mother, one to my father, and one to my brother and sister. I've known from the beginning that these would be three of the hardest to write and saved them until now for that reason. Not only does telling them how much they mean make me anxious, but receiving any kind of response makes me even more anxious (I told you I wasn't emotional...).

I won't miss spending twenty or more minutes each day crafting a letter saying things I have never said before. I won't miss spending money on stamps and envelopes. I certainly won't miss the anxious thrill of dropping each letter in the mailbox, knowing that there was no going back once I let go. But I will miss the time it took to craft my list of twenty-five.

Twenty-five individuals, groups, and organizations that have influenced me more than they realize: a high school teacher from Indiana, a guitar player from Connecticut, four pastors, two churches, countless friends, the families of baseball legends, a best friend, an aunt and uncle, a brother and sister, a grandmother, and a mother and father.

I am truly appreciative. Thank you, all.