Take Time to Say Thank you

 



Dear Pat,  



I’ve never forgotten those special years that you babysat me and my sister. You were the teenager that lived right down the block and I was a terribly shy four-year-old. Mom had gone back to college and you stepped into our world and made my mom’s absence so much easier. You read us books, rode bikes with us, and even walked with us to the playground whenever we asked.




You did this for all the years it took Mom to finish school. Summers were the best. You gave us homemade popsicles and filled our kiddy pool. You found shady spots in the backyard to play board games, and gave us more time than we deserved. I didn’t know babysitters could have simply kept an eye on us and not played with us like you did.




Remember my frequent bouts of tonsillitis? You never wavered in caring for me. One time you drove me to the doctor to make sure I was not too sick. Eventually we were old enough to not need a babysitter, but you remained close enough to check in on us. 


Yours was the first wedding I ever attended. I was awestruck with the flowing dresses, the flowers, and the vision of white taffeta I saw as you walked down the aisle. You had already become a nurse—and now you were a wife. Even though I was still much too young to know anything about a career or marriage, you were inspiring me to look ahead.


The one thing I never did was thank you. Oh, I probably was reminded by my parents to say ‘thank you’ for the specially decorated Christmas cookies you gave us each year. But I never did thank you with a heart of gratitude for filling a space in my life that I didn’t realize was empty. You chose to be more than a babysitter and it made all the difference in my childhood. 


So, finally, after decades, I’m thanking you for your love, your faithfulness, your heart of kindness. 


My regret is that I didn’t say it sooner and now it will be your family reading these words. I’m praying for their hearts as they mourn losing you. If heaven has a place for earthly letters, I’m asking Jesus to deliver this one to you.


Love,

Karen

Patricia Willey 



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