After being back at school for almost a month and a half, the excitement of making new friends and reuniting with old friends starts to fade, and you remember how much you miss the people at home. Yes, college is an amazing time full of memories that will last for the rest of your life, but it’s hard sometimes when you can’t share it with the people who mean the most to you. There are many people you wish to share these memories with while at the same time wanting to make sure they know you are okay in your home away from home and that you can’t wait to see them again soon. I just want you to know that it’s okay to miss them, but they are beyond happy for you in your present space and can’t wait to hear all about it as you travel along your college path. So here, I have an open letter to some of the people we may be missing at home and what we are dying to tell them.
Dear Mom and Dad,
Hi, how are you? Although I seem to be calling you frantically over my grades or begging for money, I really want to tell you I miss you. I also would like to thank you for all of the support you have provided me throughout life whether it’s something small like your home-cooked meals and doing my laundry to larger things like cheering me on from the sidelines and always being the loudest ones there … no matter the circumstances. It’s especially appreciated as I am drowning in class work, my clubs, having a social life and maintaining a healthy lifestyle from however many miles I am away from you at school. I do love it here though. I have made so many priceless memories that I am so happy I get to share with you when I come home because trust me, I will be gushing about it. I know you are only a phone call away, but I know how much more it will mean when I get to tell you all about my latest experiences in person. Thank you for sending me to such an amazing school because I know I wouldn’t be here without you. I miss and love you and can’t wait to see your smiling faces soon.
Dear siblings,
How is life at home without me to embarrass you? Have mom and dad been on your tail more because there is one less child to constantly worry about? Have you finally come to the realization that life without me is just not the same and counting down the days until my departure may have been a mistake? Yes? I thought so, because I miss you so much too. Siblings truly are your best friends, and it makes me sad knowing I won’t be there to watch you go to your homecoming dance or doing real people things in your adult life. Please come visit me soon because I miss having that one person you can annoy constantly and still be close with the next day who is just a room away. Plus, having a visitor is always nice. I miss you and can’t wait to hear all about your life soon!
Dear boy at home,
School is amazing so far even though you aren’t here to share it with me, but it makes the stories so much more interesting to tell when I see you again. I still have been living my life from afar just as you would want and enjoying everything to the best of my ability without you here. I love going out with my friends and acting silly just as I would if I was at home. Although I miss having you around to hold me when I am down, it makes coming home to you that much sweeter after the months we have been apart. Thank you for the constant texts and uplifting words before my big exams – I wouldn’t have gotten through it without having you around to do that. I hope everything going on in your life is amazing, and I am so excited to hear about it when we are together again. Thank you for being one of my hardest goodbyes but even sweeter hellos. I miss you and can’t wait to see you again soon.
Dear best friends,
You are the ones who have been there since the day I took the training wheels off my bike to my first kiss and eventually my first breakup. No matter how many miles apart we may be now, you are the ones who have guided me through childhood. I would be so lost without you. You are the people who line the walls of my dorm or apartment with our hilarious photos that we took six years ago. I know we all have growing up to do without each other in our lives away from home, but nobody can replace the bonds we have shared. You all are still the first people I text when something little or big happens to me that I am just dying to share and being far makes me appreciate you all so much more. When we step off the planes, buses, trains or cars, I know I immediately have a place to fall back into with you guys. Thank you for the countless memories, laughs, fights and hugs we have shared to get us to where we are today. I miss you all and can’t wait to catch up with you all over our breaks, so we can finally live our lives the way we had before college and be kids again.
It’s completely normal to miss the people who have surrounded you in your everyday life for so long while at school. Whether you are a freshman or a senior, we all have those special people in our lives that make going home that much sweeter. Now it’s time to live life in college and enjoy the separate life you live here, but at the same time, keeping all these amazing people fresh in your mind and heart.