Dear Mom and Dad,

I know I have thanked you many times before, but my reason for doing so this time is different. This is not me thanking you for something you purchased, something you have said to me on the phone, or a favor you have done for me recently. I am writing this letter to express my immense gratitude for you always looking out for my sisters and me.

Thank you for always looking forward. You both left your country to call a new one your own. You learned a different language and became assimilated into a new way of life — one different from the one in which you were raised, knowing that it would be far from an easy process. Not once did either of you look back, as you were both determined to create new names and lives for yourselves, and, your present (and future) family. Even when people did not believe in your potential, you still pushed through. You knew what your goals were and acknowledged that the transition into a new life would be far from a walk in the park.

Thank you for not letting people get in the way of your success. You have both served as amazing influences for both my sisters and me, and will continue to serve as such for your grandkids and so on.

Thank you for raising us the way you did. Every single day, I am so thankful to have a family that is so close — as you guys did not have anyone else outside of your immediate families when you came here. You ensured to stress the importance of family to my sisters and me, something for which I will always be grateful, as I recognize everyday that I have the best sisters a girl could ever ask for.

Thank you for always thinking about us. You have taught my sisters and me that the world is hard, but you experienced the hardships greater than we will ever face, knowing that you would not want us to be in such a position. You always put us first — even before we were around. Because of you, we have the luxury to make decisions about what we do and where we see ourselves in life. Thank you for giving us the power of having options.

Thank you for always instilling the idea that anything is possible. At this point in my life, I am so used to watching people’s dreams fall apart because they deem them “impossible.” Unlike those people, you keep pushing me in the direction of success when I sometimes do not find the potential within myself to even come close to such accomplishments.

Thank you for being the most selfless people I have ever met. Had it not been for you both, I would not be the person I am today. Because of you, I have both the purpose and the drive to continue and further the many successes that you have accomplished as immigrants to this country.

Thank you for making me proud to be a Fajardo. I would have it no other way.