Dear Prune

Dear Prune,

 

So I am here in the Copenhagen airport, about to take my last plane back to San Francisco. A lot of people know that I am on my way home right now and I think a lot of them are worried for me because I had to say goodbye to you. Everyone knows how much you mean to me, I think, or at least they all have an idea. I would always take little videos of you to put on snapchat and after just a month of posting these videos, a good chunk of Northern California had fallen in love with you hahah. I think my friends will miss seeing these videos, and I know I will sure miss taking them.

 

But the whole “missing you” thing is the obvious part, and I wanted to write something about the less obvious things I feel upon moving back to the US and not seeing you every day. One of my hardest feelings to deal with right now is the feeling that I will be missing out on the experience of watching you grow up. I was only with you for ten months, but during those ten months, I watched you loose your first tooth and have your first crazy birthday party. I taught you how to braid and understand English and somewhere along the way you even learned how to use the swings at the playground all by yourself! Watching you grow up is one of the most beautiful things I have ever got to experience, and it kinda kills me that you are going to do so much more growing up and I will have to watch from so far away.

 

Of course, all of these feelings are there in the first place because I love you so much hahaha and how lucky I am to have developed such a close relationship with you in such a short amount of time! You really have become my little sister, and definitely my best five-year-old friend in the world hahah. :)

 

Oh, Prunette. I am crying here in the airport just thinking about everything you have done for me without even realizing it. You have forced me to be patient and taught me many simple ways to be more generous and kind, and for that I could not thank you enough. 

 

You are five years old and you can’t even read in French yet, but I am writing this directly to you because I really believe that someday you will grow up and speak perfect English, and when that day comes you will be able to appreciate this. I promise to remember lots of hilarious stories about cute and sassy things you said to me during this year and all the adventures we had together. I will never forget how much I love you, and you will always be welcome in whatever home I am living in. I think you will grow up and do great things someday, but I want to let you know that at the age of five, you have already done something incredible: you’ve made me feel at home. You have given me enough hugs and kisses to make any other au pair jealous, and you have changed me by making my ability to love even stronger. :)

 

I la-la-love you, Tiny. 

 

Love, 

Sally