Dear Mamba,

I want to start out by telling you how much I miss you. I know that I had no choice but to grow up, but I hate that it took away our Friday's together. Most days all I really want to do is go see you. I just want to walk in to yours and Grandad's house and breathe in. Every time I do, all I can think is that this is what home smells like, because it is home. No matter how hectic my life got or has gotten, it's the one place that didn't change. You gave me a place to stay for as long as we needed when we were in a transitional period. You gave me a place to stay when situations arose that left us without a house.

You held me when I cried, you still do. You made me strong. You taught me to believe in myself. You taught me that I was beautiful. You let me play and listen to the Dixie Chicks too loud. You covered me with the warm towels that you would pull out of the dryer. Sometimes when I get overwhelmed all I have to do is close my eyes and focus on remembering you singing You Are My Sunshine or Que Sera Sera to me. You have had a huge part in making me who I am today and I cannot tell you how thankful I am for the two of you.

Mamba, you have been there for me no matter what. Every time I came to you crying, you would hold me and talk me through it. You give me advice, you make me laugh, you make me smile. You make me happy. There are not enough words and phrases to express to you how much you have done for me and how much you have impacted me. Just know that I am forever grateful and forever thankful for everything.

Dear Grandad,

Grandad, you have had such a big part in making me who I am today. You introduced me to the woods which quickly became my happy place, my place to go when things got crazy, the place that calmed me down. You brought me to the woods and showed me that even though I was so little in a place so big, I was still important and I had a place in this world, whether I saw it or not. You taught me to always be prepared, you taught me to shoot, and how to survive situations that may happen or may never happen. You taught me that who I am is special. You taught me to never change who I am. You picked countless splinters out of my hands and feet. You pulled gravel from my legs and knees. You fixed me up and took care of me every time I got hurt. Thank you and I love you.

The two of you have impacted my life in a magnitude of ways and you both continue to impact my life every day. You both have such a big place in my heart and I wouldn’t want it any other way. I love you guys.Thank you for everything. This letter does not do my feelings justice, but I tried to convey how I much I feel for you guys.

Love,

Punkinseed, Maddie Em, Mad Em, Sugarbaby, Maddie