Countdown to Graduation: 10 Days
“I will remember you, will you remember me? / Don’t let your life pass you by / Weep not for the memories.”
Dearest Middle Earth Res Life Coordinators,
Thank you for anything and everything the three of you have done for the MERACA team. Your guidance and love has allowed us to be the RAs and CAs we are today. You have allowed us to be the best version of ourselves and prepared us to be to be the best RAs and CAs we could be towards our residents and all of Middle Earth. In such a short amount of time, we created a family that all of us will truly treasure.
To Yo: You are the main reason I am a part of this team this year, and I am thankful that you believed in me enough to bring me back to the Middle Earth team. I hope that throughout this year, I have somehow made you proud to have had me be a part of this year’s team. Thank you for every chance I got to talk to you about the challenges, the stories, and the attitude of positivity as an RA. Most of all, thank you for always reminding us the importance of “Making Love Visible.” That is no longer just a value of Middle Earth, but it is a part of my own now too. You have shared with us what you’ve learned in the many years you’ve been in the Middle Earth family and I cannot wait for my chance to share what I’ve learned from you. I hope that I can make love visible for others the way you have shown us how to make love visible. I thank you for having the faith in me and allowing me to live my dream to become an RA. Despite how challenging Quenya has been, it has also been truly rewarding.
To Alaina: From the very beginning, I felt a sense of comfortability with you that I could not explain why. Maybe it was because I saw a part of myself that would be like you in the years to come. You’ve only been a part of our Middle Earth family for such a short time, but it feels like we’ve loved you forever. Thank you for being playful with me and letting me dance at your door before I say hi to you, for giving me the best hugs, for letting me sit in your office anytime to talk about my life, for letting me cry, and for being so loving. Most of all, thank you for believing in me and believing in dream to be a part of ResLife so much that you were with me every step of the way as I applied for ARD all the way to the very end. I greatly appreciate how much you’re excited for me to venture into getting my foot in the ResLife door professionally and for thinking I’m funny because I didn’t realize I would have an office when I start working as an ARD. I would not be where I am at today, preparing for my career to start, without all the time you dedicated to help me. Even when you tell me that it’s all me, I didn’t do it alone.
To Roger: I am thankful because you accepted me in every shape and form – pink, glitter, and all. You have been so patient in mentoring me this year as I prepare to dive into the ResLife world. You’ve listened to every bit of the excitement I’ve ever had, you’ve sat through every story I’ve had to tell you, you’ve guided me through handling every struggle and challenge Quenya has put me through, and you had the faith that I can handle moving forward into my career. You gave me time that you probably didn’t have just to work on my presentation for my interview. When everything came crumbling down and falling apart, you made sure – every day – that I, as a person rather than I, as an RA or your staff, was okay. You cared for me way beyond your RA and I am truly appreciative of the love you have given me. Thank you for sharing your stories from the time you were an RA, to how you and Jacco got engaged, to how untraditional you are, to how you love Star Wards but think the movies are boring, and so much more. Most of all, thank you for letting us witness your sarcasm and shadiness without hesitation and letting us return the favor of being shady. I have loved being a part of out Southcape/11 Savages family this year and how you’ve welcomed us into your home during small group meetings. Thank you for taking the time to be my NUFP mentor and helping me develop my skills for when I become a ProStaff member.
Thank you for the guidance, the patience, the mentorship, the care, the concern, the values, and the love you have given us this year because without all of you, MERACA would not have been able to do as much as we did. It is because the three of you showed us what we were meant to do and how successful we could be as RAs and CAs. Because of you, everything was possible. Thank you for giving us a fa(M.E.)ly and allowing us to really understand the meaning of love in a different light. I know I speak for the MERACA team when I say words cannot express our gratitude for all of you: Yo: the dad of Middle, Alaina: the mom of Middle Earth, and Roger: the cool uncle of Middle.
With all my love,
J-Mi
Stories of the Reign 