Dear mom and dad

I've been thinking of a thousand words to write to you.
It is midnight and I am tired but too loaded with thoughts to go to sleep. So I write again.
And now it is to you.

I've just ended one of the many peaceful but strong late night conversations with dad and after every such treasured moment I realize how lucky I am. Every single time I get overflowed by thankfulness and security. It is something I really need to find my way in this jungle people call the world.
And the people of that world often tell me how wonderful my parents are. And I tell them they are right and as I do, that same little happy thankfulness fairy comes fluttering by, just to sit on my shoulder, saying nothing, just smiling proudly. And I realize that I never tell you that.

You always give me wisdom and I honestly can't wait to watch you at 90 years old, sitting in your rocking chair, listening to that same wisdom song. Completing each other and us, my brothers and I.
I am imagining and feeling a little butterfly in my tummy doing it.

Thank you for holding me, carrying me when I was little,
thank you for coming with me into my world of imagination and overly unrealistic stories,
thank you for listening to my little girl problems,
thank you for holding my fiddlestick so I could learn how to hold my fingers on my very first violin,
thank you for being home every single time we got home from school so you could listen to our adventures,
thank you for letting me have my phases,
thank you for encouraging me in everything that I do,
thank you for letting me experience every single emotion there is to feel,
thank you for holding my hands on both sides when I had that horrible first year of college,
thank you for helping me clean my (artistic) messy room,
thank you for listening to puberal boy dramas and for letting me have the tears and hugs when I needed them,
thank you for driving to Ghent every single week or even day to comfort me because yet again the teachers at the art graduate school put me and my photography down big time,
thank you for listening to my big girl problems,
thank you for dragging me through my first breakup with all the love you had in you,
thank you for letting me disappear for a while, just as long as I needed to,
thank you for being there when I am lonely,
thank you for letting me find the artist, collector and dreamer that seems to be me,
thank you for listening to my rambling and fascination about this beautiful boy I met,
thank you for accepting the love, my love that he is today,
thank you for being my greatest example.

Thank you for loving me and being there every single time and more.

God damnit, I love you.

Lots of love,
Tineke