Nearly two years to this day, the Rames Family was certainly
sitting in large van with considerable baggage heading for Sea-Tac
International Airport in Seattle, WA, USA.
We were actually heading toward something with much less certainty: relocation to Dublin. At that point, two weeks before school was to
start, we didn’t know where the kids were going to go to school, where we were
going to live, or what was really in store for us. There were tears in that van from young and
old. We were leaving a community that we
loved and felt very comfortable in. A
community with treasured friends. A
wise man in the van said, “It’s a good thing that you feel this way because it
means that you have built good friends and when you leave something like that,
it should make you feel sad. I can only
hope that when we leave Dublin, there will be these same tears.” - Joe said this.
We’re a few days from leaving Booterstown and many tears
have already been shed. It’s really
difficult to write a letter of thanks to a community, because “thank you” is
something best delivered to a set of eyes.
Something that should be accompanied with a hug or a handshake. We’ve already parted with many hugs and
handshakes and there will be more tears to come, but many will have been
missed. Please take this letter along
with a virtual hug and handshake.
I could probably fill many screens with stories of how the people
and places of Ireland have seeped into the fabric of the Rames Family and I
could sit here and mention each one. I
would likely miss my flight to the States.
How you captured us, is very simple:
You accepted us into your community.
I know that some may say that we found you by living in the
community. But renting a house does not
mean acceptance. Some may say that it
was really our efforts and embracing of the community that made it
possible. Anyone that has embraced another
and received nothing in return can attest to the fact that it takes two to make
it happen. You took us into your homes,
schools, churches, clubs, and pubs. You
accepted us and taught us lessons that will stay with us forever.
I thought I’d end this letter with something Grace wrote and
drew. I will replace names with “Booterstown”
as it so perfectly reflects how our family feels. The rest will stay the same as I would not want to correct an imperfection. There are
certainly things about Ireland that are not perfect, but we have come to accept
it as our home and know that we are not done with it.
Dear Booterstown,
I will miss you soo much. Leaving
Ireland is so hard and complacated. You
really lit my life up. At first I was didn’t really notice anything and I was
like a little stone on the ground being trampled, but when I noticed I could
stand up for myself I would be able to become freinds with everyone, my life
changed completeley. My life never be the
same without you. But when I left
America, I thought my life would be horrible a tough, but now that I made freinds
with you and everyone else, it was like I was born again and started a new
life.
Love from the Rames Family
Xoxoxoxoxoxo
P.S. Teers
