Dear Papa: A letter to the man who taught me to love reading and so much more

Dear Papa,

It has been almost 3 years since I have been with you. That is a long time for us, considering you  lived next door. I always knew you were there if I needed something, a shoulder to cry on, a voice of reason, or just good, sound advice. We thought the world was bad when we last talked, but you would be so disgusted now. People are so cruel to each other. It never ceases to amaze me how many ways people find to hurt one another. What I do find is that I can muddle through each day because I have little bits of your wisdom tucked away. When I feel lost or trapped, and I just do not know what to do, I back up and look at the situation the way I know you would have. I remove the messy emotions and put on your logic and clarity. I apply the filter of Christ you used in everyday life and suddenly the impossible seems possible. You may not be with me physically, to verbally guide me, but your lessons are still hard at work and still keeping me out of trouble.
You have missed so much over the past three years. I have tried to take care of Mema like I promised, she is still stubborn as ever, and she misses you more than words can express. The kids have grown up so fast! Derrick is now a principal at his own school and I finished college, just like I promised. I am now a teacher with my own classroom. I love teaching. My plan is to go back to school to get a degree in reading specialties. I would have never been able to go to college without you, I would have never learned to love books without you, and I would not have had the courage to go back to college and fulfill my dream of teaching students with special needs, without your support. I wish you could have been there when I walked across the stage at graduation, or when I walked into my first classroom. It has not been easy, but I believe you would be proud. You taught me never to give up, to always put God first, to always respect others no matter what their walk in life, and that I will never be bored as long as there is a book around. I still remember you reading to me as a child, patiently running your finger under the words as you read them aloud, and suddenly realizing that I understood the words on the page. I would not be the person I am today without you and your lessons. What I would give to tell you "thank you" and how deeply I appreciate you one more time.
I have so many things I want to do. I want to write a book, get my doctorate, travel, and start a scholarship for students with special needs. However, all these things will take time and patience, but the one thing I strive to do every day, and will for the rest of my life, is to live every day in a way that would have made you proud of me. I love you papa and always will be your girl.

Your granddaughter,
Jennifer Thompson Boyd