Letter #10 (50 Love Letters)
Saturday, April 16, 2016
Dear M,
"When is MY love letter coming?" you asked me over FaceTime. So here it is. On the day you came, I looked into your eyes and felt overcome by love. You needed a name and it rolled off the tip of my tongue. "I'm going to name her Maya!" I told everyone proudly. It was the first time I ever got to choose a name on my own and it seemed to suit you so well. Maya means love in Nepali and you are one of the biggest loves of my life.
Speaking of love, I also named you after Maya Angelou and whenever I'm sad or feeling down you say, "I'll go get Maya Angelou!" and you bring me one of her books from my shelf. Sometimes I swear I gave birth to you. I gave birth to you from my heart for sure.
We are very close. We tell each other everything. Whenever I lose my wallet or my keys or a necklace, you have a magical power of finding it in five minutes. You always find your way into my room and love hanging out. We have the same taste in music and we always end up dancing. You wear all my clothes and even though they don't fit you say, "Mom, will you save this for me when I'm older?"
You get in trouble. You get in trouble A LOT. Then you make me laugh when I'm trying to give you a punishment. People call you bossy and yes, you are definitely a leader wherever you are but with your strong domineering side you also have so much empathy. You love our dogs more than anyone and you are always the first to take care of someone when they're sick or need help.
You are good at turning work into fun. You're such an entrepreneur. Remember when you turned the side yard into a store and started selling things? It was cool until I realized MY water bottle was for sale. Remember when you turned the rooftop into a restaurant and charged the volunteers to eat there on Saturday afternoons? You made a small fortune. You also have a magical way of convincing the uncles to give you five rupees which you always use to buy sweets.
I have a million stories I could tell about you. Everyone who comes to Kopila has a "Maya story." There is never a dull moment with you in our family, my love. You are a force, a force of love. I love you, always forever.
Xo Mom