Dear Mom and Dad

I want to thank you for all you did. I want to thank you for all the nights I kept you up. I want to thank you for caring enough for me that you sacrificed "your time" for me. I want to thank you for all the days both of you worked so hard so we could have a roof over our head, good food to eat and trips to the lake, beach and skiing with our family and friends. I want to thank you for believing in me no matter what. I want to thank you for all the times you spent with me talking about life, softball and basketball tournaments, gardening, playing "hot box," swimming at the pool and monopoly. I want to thank you for thinking I was wonderful and special even when I made a lot of mistakes. There are no words to thank you enough for what you did.

I never really understood it until now. So many sacrifices they made for their kids. They often went without so we could have a better life. They worked late and got up early so we could have it better than the generation before them. It is pretty special what they did because of love. I get it now. Now that I have my own children and all of the responsibilities that are part of having children, I really have a whole other respect for them.

This week my middle son graduates from high school and I am struck by the awesome responsibility and the gift he has been to us. I see this same feeling in the amazing families we have had the pleasure of interacting with these past four years. I marvel at the love and dedication that these parents have given their children. The sleepless nights, the phone calls where there were tears, all the planning to give them a future, the emotional support when their heart was broken, the laughter over all the craziness that comes with their adventures. I know that their kids don't know or understand it yet, and they probably won't till they have children of their own, but I want you to know that we see what you have done. We see what you have sacrificed. We see your heart skip a beat when the phone rings, and we watch you with pride as your son or daughter excel in a world of possibilities.

So this week, I am focusing on having a heart of gratitude because your commitment to your family and children amazes me and I am proud to be in the company of such incredible people. So I ask that our hearts be filled with joy and contentment as our children step forward in the next journey of their life, and may we know we did the best we could with the gifts we have been given. So here's to you, all of you who one day will get a letter in the mail, text or email that says Dear Mom and Dad, thank you!

Sheree DiBiase, PT, is the owner of Lake City Physical Therapy and she and her staff can be reached in their Coeur d'Alene office at (208) 667-199 and in their Spokane Valley office at (509) 891-2623 for your annual movement examination to ensure you stay healthy in your musculoskeletal system. Because often our children won't send their thank-yous for years, I am thanking all of you parents today for them. You all rock!