Dear Annie and Eric,

You know your mom pretty well. You know that when you were teenagers, I got fierce with you about all kinds of things: book reading, the unnecessary use of “like” in a sentence, whether we’ve suddenly hired a maid because who else is supposed to take your dirty dishes to the sink and wash them? You also know that I’ve always, always been fierce about my job; no matter what it’s been about. You didn’t always get what it meant to work in “communications,” but you knew I always had causes to fight for, like: making sure everyone has access to affordable, quality healthcare. Fighting for women’s reproductive freedom–for our freedom, period. Fighting against greater harm from climate change, so life on this planet can survive. So YOU can survive, and flourish.

When you were teenagers, I knew that you both listened to everything I said and rolled your eyes at much of it. I know you got tired of me being on the soapbox, and by now, the sound of my voice probably makes you cringe, when I call you to find out what you had for breakfast that day. But I hope that when you read this letter, you are doing okay. I hope you have found a place to live, surrounded by loved ones. I hope you can go outside and breathe clean air and appreciate the beauty of your surroundings, regardless of whether you live in a city or in rural surroundings. And most of all, I hope that this life of good things is not just yours to enjoy, but that you also have decided to fight for others to have this life, too. That you understand that some people get screwed when it comes to good things like clean air, clean water, and health. And that this is not right, and you are there to make it better.

The fierceness came from love. But you knew that.

Love always,
Mom