You are the Story I Tell: The Family I Inherited

I truly believe that the greatest gift that you can give to another person is to genuinely let them know that who they are and what they do matters. It has been my goal in 2014 to become a more thoughtful person. A string of deaths to some individuals who positively affected my life led me to conceive this series. As the words to my favorite song go, “And for those who have stood by my side, you are the story I tell.” You are the words and pages to my story.

Over the course of the next several months, I will be writing open letters to those who have positively impacted my story. I’m not going to lie. It is my goal to make you cry, not out of grief or pain but out of the realization that you do truly matter. I am not doing this in order of how important you are to me. For the most part (other than birthdays or other important events), the letters will be done in a random order. I hope you enjoy, and I hope you come away from this with the realization that you are extremely important to me.

Dear Family,

There are two types of family members: the ones you like, and the ones you don’t like. Just kidding about that part! There are really two types of family members, though. There are the family members you inherit and there are the family members you acquire along the way. In both cases, I can say I’ve been pretty blessed.

Let me talk to the family members I’ve inherited; that is, those of you who are blood relatives. Collectively, I don’t know that there is a harder-working or more generous group of people around. You have always been ready, willing, and able to help both Heidi and me with anything that we’ve ever needed. You’ve helped my family both times we moved, and everyone was more than accommodating in celebrating two family weddings out of state. I can’t promise that in the event I get married it will be in Illinois, so mentally prepare yourselves for a third out of state wedding!

I don’t know that I’ve really ever given any of you the best chance to truly get to know me because I’m not the most outgoing or gregarious person around, but I have always been appreciative of everything you’ve done and have admired certain traits that I’ve observed in you over the years.

Uncle Tim, I’ve always admired how hard you work and how well you’ve treated us. You’ve been far more generous to us than you’ve ever had to be. Your encyclopedic knowledge on a variety of things has always been impressive. I’ve always thought you should go on Jeopardy!

Auntie Dee and Uncle Bob, thank you for always allowing Andy to come and do things with Heidi and me. It made growing up so much fun and helped create a lot of good memories. I’ll always look fondly on the sleepovers in the tent that we had in your backyard at your house in Mokena. You’ve always treated Heidi and me very well. Uncle Bob, I always enjoy seeing you on the holidays. Your friendly nature and wonderful mealtime prayers always serve to enhance the holidays. Auntie Dee, I see a lot of the same qualities in you that I see in my mom. You are both very organized, hard-working people who succeed because they understand the importance of planning and organization. I appreciate that quality in my mom, and I appreciate it in you as well.

Uncle Jerry and Aunt Lisa, the two of you have always made life seem like a big deal. Whether it’s Christmas or our annual WrestleMania party, you have a way of bringing out the best of life. What I appreciate most about both of you is that even though you’re adults and have all sorts of adult responsibilities, you’ve never lost that childlike enthusiasm for life. You guys have fun living, and you have fun with each other. Too many people lose sight of those things.

Aunt Dianna, I only see you maybe one or two times a year, but you have always been one of my favorite relatives. It’s easy to have a conversation with you because you seem to genuinely care about everything that is going on in my life. You have a knack for keeping conversations going and focusing on the positives. Thank you for always making me feel like who I am and what I’m doing matters.

The family you inherit can't be chosen. God doesn't allow us to pick our relatives, but even if He did, I don't think I could do much better. I am blessed to have been surrounded by hard-working and generous people who not only followed the example of the generation above them but also set an example for my generation. Thank you for all that you have done for me.

Love always,
Jakob