Dear Mary,
Thank you for curing me of my absolute terror of numbers. For helping me to see the deep connection between the numbers and the story behind them. For making the data come alive! This newfound comfort with and awareness of the power of numbers affects not just my work life, as we team to improve outcomes for abused children and their families, but every day life as well. So, I’m shopping for face cream. The ad says, “More than 87% of women saw significant improvement in skin texture within 14 days!” And, I’m thinking, “But what’s the denominator???!!! Tell me the denominator, and maybe I’ll buy your product.” A new arena for critical thinking, indeed!
Thank you for always being willing to listen to me, even when we did not agree. And, modeling for me how to ask the hard questions of self when there is conflict. Your capacity to come back to a place of self-reflection has really impacted me. To ask, “What is my part?” “How could I have listened more deeply?” “Where did I need to seek to understand you better?” I have seen you grow as a human being, and it has helped me grow.
Thank you for all the courageous conversations about race, oppression, and privilege. Just two melanin-challenged women trying to figure out how we could have come so far as a society since the days of Dr. King, and yet, have so far to go. How to close the gap? I promise to continue having those conversations. To speak up. To stand up. Not out of anger, but the deep inner knowing that every human being is a precious manifestation of God’s intention, a shimmering orb of magnificent potential that is at once vulnerable and infinitely resilient. To champion the cause of freedom and justice.
Thank you for all the flowers and plants that randomly appeared in our suite from your garden. Especially the sumptuous roses. But, even the ones that were very odd and looked like something out of Darth Vader’s garden.
Thank you for your dedication to children and families, and your endless energy in this work. Your creative genius is like a fountain spring that surprises with its freshness, and also makes us say, “Well of course. That makes perfect sense!”
Thank you for sharing so freely about your wild and wonderful family – your saint-of-a-husband, Clay; your three sons, daughters-in-law, grandchildren, parents, and countless siblings; the whole family going to take sign language classes as you prepared to welcome your new daughter-in-law into the family; and, tales of those Minnesota snow-bound winters.
Thank you for continuously acknowledging and thanking us for the work that we do every day.
Let this gathering be like a tea ceremony in the Chinese tradition of your family – honoring and celebrating who you are.
We love you. We’re going to miss you greatly! But…maybe not so much, because of all that you have intentionally, and unintentionally, instilled in our minds and hearts.
May this next chapter of your journey be even more thrilling and fulfilling than your wildest dreams!
Love,
Laura