My Sister Made Me Cry

In utter frankness, I sometimes have doubts about what I'm doing, whether moving this far from my family was a good idea, whether it's worth what I may have traded for it. Especially where my teeny siblings and my being "around" their formative years are concerned, the rogue troubled thought will now and again cross my mind.

Which is where the thing about my sister making me cry comes in. In front of my students no less. Alright, I shouldn't have been reading blogs during tutoring. Fine. But I was, and I read the new batch of letters to friends the kids at Melissa and Charlie's school occasionally post on their school blog (to which I deliberately will not link). The little punk posted this and made me go all watery:

Dear Colleen,

Hi! We don't know each other too well, but Christmastime is the best time for a new friendship to bloom. Do you play an instrument? I play the violin. It is very fun.

I have 2 brothers. A big one and a little one. I also have 1 big sister. I call her sissie and look up to her. I love her very much. She is a teacher in Texas for a Catholic school. When I grow up, I want to be just like her. Do you have brothers or sisters? Do tell.

Well, I'm running out of room to write. Have a happy holiday, a good vacation, and a happy new year.
bye,
Melissa

Omigosh. No comment on the utter sweetness of that, except that she's a punk for making me cry in front of my students. Even better, she's brilliant. She's a better writer than some of my 7th graders, frankly. There was only one fragment in that whole thing! She used commas and compound subjects correctly. She said "Do tell"!

That's why I was crying. Really.