To the Aunt and Uncle Who Took Me In,

Thank you. It’s a simple phrase but can hold so much meaning behind it, but that’s all I can say to you. Thank you for taking me in when you didn’t have to and for treating me like one of your own. It probably wasn’t the easiest decision to take in another child when you didn’t need to; however, that decision changed my life.

You’ve taught me so much in the few years that I’ve lived with you, like that it’s okay to make decisions that are best for me even if they may upset other people. You’re constantly there when I need to talk or rant about something that’s upset me, and you always guide me when I’m stuck in a situation and don’t know what to do.

Thank you for coming to rescue me when my car broke down in the middle of the highway and thank you for always getting said car fixed.

Thank you for putting up with my picky eating habits, even though you tease me about them all the time.

Thank you for motivating me to better myself.

Thank you for getting me my cat that you didn’t want at first but is basically yours now. (I knew you would love him.)

Thank you for always attending my school functions and being there when I looked out in the crowd.

Thank you for dealing with the times I can be a brat which is a lot let’s be honest.

Thank you for always allowing my friends to come over and hang out.

Thank you for taking me across the country just so I could go on a college visit.

Thank you for taking me to get ice cream to calm me down instead of yelling at me when I rear-ended a car.

Thank you for bringing medicine to my dorm when I’m sick.

Thank you for dealing with coming to get me from campus every other weekend just so I can come home to do laundry.

Thank you for giving me the place I call home.

Thank you for being there when I felt like the whole world was against me and could do nothing but cry.

Thank you for being honest and not sugar-coating things even when you tell me something I don’t want to hear.

Thank you for believing in me and knowing that I was capable of more than I thought I could do.

Thank you for knowing that I was worth more than I thought I was.

Thank you for going above and beyond what I ever expected from you.

Thank you for easily becoming two of the most important people in my life. I don’t know where I would be without you.

With So Much Love,

Your Niece