Dear Mrs A.

Dear Mrs A,

I am so sorry that we never had the chance to meet in this life. I would have loved to have tea with you and talk about life, love, children and living in the new country. But if we could talk in person, I would tell you about your children:

R. has grown into a beautiful young woman! I love to see her every day when she walks into my classroom. Yes, there are days that when I see the shadows behind her smile, and other days when it feels like the weight of the whole world is resting on her shoulders. Still she comes, she works hard, and she is always willing to learn more. She smiles. She tells stories how she helps her other siblings at home. She has become the family care taker. Perhaps that is why I love seeing her laugh with the other girls and just be a teenager for a while.

MR. walks into my classroom with either a smile on his face or a determined frown displaying a questions mark. He hates the tie he has to wear to school, but he is not shy to share his love of chicken! Some days I have to warn him that chicken jokes do not belong to every situation. I am sure you understand what I mean. Soccer is MR's passion, and school is just a necessity. Yet, he has learned to put his anger aside enough to study--at least on most days. I am slowly seeing more cracks in the shell that he has built around him.
He loves comedy and jokes! Need I say more? His laughter is so contagious that sometimes it is really difficult for me to tell him to stop when all I want to do is just laugh with him. I hope that you can still hear his laughter.

I see MA. walk the school hallways very determined. She knows her goal. She wants to be a doctor so she can help and heal people. She works really hard. She is independent. Perhaps as the middle child she has learned to build her own road to travel. I don't see MA as often, but when I do see her, she is full of spontaneity. I also see the love that she has for her siblings. MA 's big heart is evident when I watch her with her younger sisters.

ZH works with me on Monday and Thursday afternoons. She lights up my afternoons when she walks in! Through all the sorrow and sadness, she's been able to keep joy in her eyes. Is life easy for her? I am sure that it is not. School can be hard and difficult, but you loved her so much that is has sustained her. You would love her sense of humor and her ability to care for others. R. once told me that ZH is a mini MR; I think she was right:-)

ZA is the sweetest little girl ever! When I see her on Wednesdays after school, I just want to hug her and take her home with me. The few minutes that we have when I sit next to her and we work on homework together are very special to me. I love the expression on her face when she is working through a difficult math problem or when she is thinking how to answer a comprehension question for language arts homework. I also enjoy watching her interact with R and MA. They are her mini-mothers.

Mrs. A, I hope you understand how much I love your children. I truly wish you could be here to see them grow and become everything that you dreamed they would become. Are they perfect? No, but what I want you to know is that each one of them is special. If you could see your children today, you could be so proud of them! They are survivors! The road ahead of them is not easy, but I am certain they will prevail. They will make it. After all, they are your children; you raised them!

Sincerely,

Jaana


This letter was inspired by Bonnie's letter to her friend. You can read Bonnie's letter here. I also wanted to find a way for my students to share their grief on the anniversary of their mother's death. Perhaps we will write letters to their mother together this week when we meet after school.