To May, as you look at your watch and sigh:

I know, it’s time. You’ve got a midnight curfew and I can’t make you late. But know that you’re leaving under heavy protest!
If you could just stay a little longer. Don’t let that thug June bully you away. You deserve far more than 31 days. What an unjust calendar system [...]

To my messy house:

It’s over between us. I know we’ll only be together for 3 more weeks, but seriously I can’t take it anymore. What was the kicker?
Saturday’s Surprise Visitor (looking around living room): So are you guys packing already?
Me: No, it just always looks like this.
Time to snap into Mom Cleaning Mode (MCM).
She’s bestowed on [...]

To the Research Paper:

Candy corn and Peeps. My precious mangoes. The World Series. Santa Clause and twinkle lights. Porter Peach Festival. Candles on a cake. Bath and Body Works Big Sale.
They only come around once a year. And we fall in love.
They are not the ordinary, everyday, humdrum treadmill of our existence. [...]

To the Milkman:

I’ll get to you in a minute. But please read on.
In the car on road trip through Mali, L1 and L2 talk about where their families descended from. Small talk ensues. Then…
J: I don’t really know anything about where I’m from.
L2 (gasp!): How could you not know your heritage?
Shocking! How could she [...]

To Year Twenty-four:

Today was an ambitious birthday. So I’ve made some plans for us…
1. Take more naps. “I’d love a good nap. That’s the only thing getting me out of bed in the morning.” –George Costanza
2. Wear any and all clothes that still have tags on them.
3. [...]

To the One Percent, on the Global Day of Prayer:

99 to 1. The percentages are daunting.
But here you are–the powerful minority gathered in intercession for the lost majority.
And your 3,000 voices lifting up the nations looks like this…

Truly the most beautiful moment in all my time with you,
Amber

To Mom, on Walking the Survivor Lap:

Some words for you on this Relay for Life-Mother’s Day…
Blessed are you who persevere
Even though you’ve lost your hair.
Blessed are you who refuse to be pitied
But keep laughing light-hearted and witty.
Blessed are you who took the diagnosis with hope
And woke up the next morning to do more than just cope.
Blessed are you who juggle countless [...]

To me, on writing something worth reading:

You’re just an amateur. Don’t get too excited that a little group of bloggers chose one of your little letters for one of their little online collections. But take this moment of recognition to remember where you came from.
You were never a novelist. Or a poet. Or a playwright. You [...]

To EDM (Energie du Mali):

I won’t even waste sarcasm on you.  You suck.  I hate you.
For approximately 4 hours today, you did not provide the service I pay you to provide.
Should I be marking my calendar for daily power cuts?  Rearranging my meal schedules to coincide with the working hours of my refrigerator and microwave?
How about my computer?  Any [...]

To May, as you stand in the atrium of 2008:

Come in, come in! Get out of the rain and sit for a spell, dear friend.
It’s no secret, May. You are my favorite month. Most people think I favor you because you have the privilege of hosting my birthday. (Everyone’s favorite month is their birthday month, right?) [...]