Wednesday, March 31 (Day 20): I am admittedly the biggest sap in the world. Probably the height of my sappiness came about 14 years ago when as I was standing among 40,000+ people at an Elton John concert in the RCA Dome in Indianapolis I started crying when he played the song Cirle of Life from the movie Lion King. It is a sweet song anyway, but it has very special meaning to me b/c when my niece first came to live with my parents when she was 1 1/2 years old, she and I would spend hours watching the movie Lion King. I had even bought her a Simba stuffed animal that she would hold while sitting on my lap watching the movie. I have always wanted to keep thinking about my niece as that little girl who sat on my lap holding Simba and watching that movie. Well, she isn't that little girl any more. She is a 17 year old young woman who (like all people) struggles sometimes to make the right decisions. Her decision making process is complicated by the fact that she has huge anger issues with her mother and father who were both mired in severe drug problems and were simply not parents to her at that time. My niece has made some pretty bad decisions lately. I reached the point several months ago where I was tired of trying to help her only to see her make further wrong decisions and finally decided that I was "done spending any emotional or physical energy on her". That decision has really been bothering me. So today I decided that I would reach back out to her and let her know that I loved her and was there for her if she needed and wanted my help. I still don't agree with many of the decisions that she has made lately, but it doesn't mean I don't love her and certainly doesn't mean that I don't want to help her if she wants the help. I mailed her a card telling her all of that. I hope she takes me up on my offer to reconnect.
- Jeff Hamilton
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I am so happy and proud of you!
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