Jen's Journal

To my coworker who wipes the sweat off her forehead at the end of the day, I cherish the conversations we have that we can never finish. I learned that it doesn’t matter how old we are; we all go through similar situations all the time.

To my English professor, who chose only female authors in our Greatest American Authors class, thank you for showing us the level of success women can achieve when they put their minds to it.

To my mother, a thousand four hundred miles away, I miss you. I was angry when you left, chasing after a man who wasn’t worth the trouble. Then I blindly fell for the wrong guy for the wrong reasons. We fall, heart first and head later, dreaming of a love that will endure. I hope you’ll understand why I can’t imagine having children right now.

To my grandmother, with your toothless smile and infinite love, I have nothing but respect for you. You raised me when my mother wasn’t here, took me in, and cared for me when I was too sick to lift my head. Even now, when I come over, you make room for me in your queen-sized bed, and we talk for hours that can only be quantified by the number of beers you’ve put down. I can’t wait to go to Milwaukee with you and get drunk on the train.

To my friends whose power radiates in every exhale you allow into the world, thank you for molding me into the person I am today. Thank you for the advice, the laughs, the late-night secrets, and pinky promises. Thank you for letting me cry and feel as much as I want to. Everyone before you guys only tolerated my emotions. You guys take them in without judgment and encourage me to be unapologetically me.

To all the women I’ve met and loved along the way, thank you for everything. You all deserve the best in life, and I hope I’m lucky enough to stay in your lives to watch you grow into yourselves.