An Open Letter to Susan Christian

A little over a week ago I received an e-mail from my uncle Perry Christian containing a special request. He informed me that Susan, his wife and my aunt, would be attending a women's retreat this weekend. Perry said that one of the events Susan would participate in involved the reading of letters- letters clandestinely written by each woman's loved ones that would be read aloud to her in the presence of the others in attendance. Each letter should serve to encourage and edify the person to whom it was addressed. Perry requested that I write such a letter for Susan. My only instructions were to keep the letter relatively brief (a true challenge for me) and to write from the heart.

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What follows is the letter I composed. It represents one of the rare moments in my life where I pulled back every internal check and poured out the most honest, unfiltered declaration of affection I am capable of formulating. Susan deserved no less because, of all the people in my life I cherish, there are people I hold as dearly as I hold Susan, but no one I treasure more. When I completed the final draft last Sunday, I immediately wanted to post its contents here. Doing so, however, would likely have ruined the surprise the retreat organizers had planned. But seeing as she has certainly been presented with the letter by now, I want my testimony to her exemplary character and incalculable worth to be known by more than just a select few. If there is anything remarkable about the letter it is not so because of any craftsmanship or skill of expression on my part. It is solely because of the utmost remarkability of the woman described therein.

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Dear Susan,

When I think of you, the characteristics that immediately come to mind are sensitivity and warmth of heart. These are two qualities you possess with such thorough authenticity it astounds me. Because these are qualities I seek to develop in myself, I cannot help but hold you in high honor for the way you continually demonstrate your sensitive and warm nature to family and friends alike. When you see a loved one in tears, you do all you can to dry their eyes. When someone you care for is wounded, you move quickly to sooth their pain and mend their brokenness.

Within our home, you devote enormous amounts of energy toward cultivating peace and fellowship, strengthening family bonds, and fixing the many problems that arise. It seems to me that you are only genuinely happy when you believe that those you love are truly happy as well. These are the desirable traits that secure your place among the best of daughters, mothers, and wives.

I stand among the privileged souls who have felt the fullness of your warmth and sensitivity. Fifteen years ago, your nephew was a boy suffering from the deepest of wounds, reeling from the most unexpected of losses, and you and your husband took me into your home and raised me as if I had been your own son from the very beginning of my days. In doing so, you honored a promise made to a man and woman who were no longer capable of holding you to your word. And remember: I came to you not as a finished person but as a work-in-progress. I am certain that if Debbie and Rockie Scott could speak with you concerning all that you have done on my behalf, they would shower you with thanks for the many years of effort and care you have devoted to their child. Many friends and family have made great contributions to who I am today, but you are one of the precious few who have shaped the core of my personhood.

Please, Susan, accept this well-deserved praise without hesitation. Let your own soul be warmed by the knowledge that you have made an impact on this world through the impact made on your loved ones. Draw confidence from that fact that your contribution is irreplaceable, invaluable, and ongoing. Your sensitivity and warmth of heart enrich all who are near you. That is why you are loved and treasured by so very many people; not least of all, by me.

Your nephew, your friend, and your son,
David Scott