This is an open letter to the people in my life who never stopped loving me, believing in me and inspiring me – my mom and dad.

I know I can be a difficult person. Sometimes I cannot express my thoughts or feelings in a way that is all that coherent, but somehow you manage to – or pretend to at least – understand what I am trying to say.

As a journalist, reading that above sentence makes my skin crawl, but that is just who I am. I can write how I feel, but if I try and explain what I am thinking or feeling verbally it can sound like gibberish.

I can admit that I am a stubborn, anxious, stressed out spaz who has moments of self-doubt and unpredictability. However, I also care deeply, work passionately and use my stubborn habits to never give up on the ones that I love.

Some of what makes you who you are is pure genetics. Although I might not know where exactly I get some of my genetic features, there are some traits that I can pinpoint to the family members I received them from – and they aren’t superficial.

My entire life I have been doing some form of activity. Whether it was hockey, lacrosse, swimming, gymnastics, Muay Thai, wrestling or volleyball – my parents were there to support me every step of the way.

They were my role models and my inspiration to always try and be better every day. When I would start to doubt myself or want to give up, they were right there with me to pull me through even the toughest, most heartbreaking situations. They never left my side.

Nobody enjoys getting up at 5:30 a.m. on a Saturday in the middle of January in Canada for a practice in a cold hockey arena – especially my child self. But, there were my parents dragging me out of bed and driving me to practice through snow storms, just so I could get better at the one thing that meant the most to me at that moment in my life – hockey.

Now, 18 years later, during a snow storm on a lovely Sunday night in April, my parents drove through Erie’s finest weather conditions and helped to shovel the field, all to watch me play one of my last college lacrosse games ever.

They would move heaven and earth for me and I couldn’t love them more for it. That is just one of the ways their character has inspired mine and they have given me a genetic trait that doesn’t need to be noticeable in a family picture.

I don’t need to have ginger locks to know I am my mother’s daughter, or black straight hair to know I am my dad’s. I love and care with every piece of my heart for those who are important in my life and nothing will change that.

It’s a part of who I am.

So, I would like to say thank you to my mom and dad for giving me something more than just your devilishly good looks – a heart that will never give up, stop believing or inspiring those it loves.

It has allowed me to fall in love, follow a passion and make amazing memories. I don’t know what I’d do without you guys. Thank you for always being in my corner.

BECKY HILKER 

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