Around 2010, my father was having such a difficult time and was going through a time of depression. After speaking to my Mom, Anicia, about him, I wanted to find some way to encourage him.

I wanted to do something special and wanted to do it soon. So I called the local newspapers in Saipan to ask what their rates were for ad placements. They would cost hundreds of dollars. The person on the other end of the line at the advertisement department encouraged me to send what I wanted to do through their Letters to the Editor section.

I was a bit disappointed that I wouldn't be able to afford to give my parents a special feature by paying for a nice spot for them. My goal was to bless them in public. Tim and I prayed and told the Lord that we trusted in His provision. Then we became thankful and praised Him that He provided us with a free opportunity by sending in a "letter to the editor" instead of an ad.

I had no idea what would happen after I had sent in my letter of encouragement to both local newspapers in Saipan, the Marianas Variety and Saipan Tribune. Unbeknownst to me, someone from one of the newspapers called my parents, Frank and Anicia, on the phone to request for a photo of the two of them together. They had no clue what it was for.

The next day both newspapers generously gave full-page spreads of my letter to them. One of them included a large photo of them as well. My parents were shocked when they saw the newspaper that day. Mom said that my dad was even moved to tears. 

The letter was so moving that many people cried. My parents received numerous phone calls and were stopped for many months after that so that they could talk to them about "that article."

I have only spoken to some people about the impact that that letter had on them. Some loved ones have told me that they wished they had the same perspective I did on being thankful instead of feeling as if their parents owed them. I feel sorry for those who have shared stories with me -- that they were or are still not close to their parents but so wished to be.

One of the main reasons why I wrote this book, I Know You Love Me, Mommy and Daddy, was to start encouraging thankfulness in the hearts of children for their parents. This book can do that, but it can also help adults to remember the sacrifices their parents made and the sweet times they shared with them.

Here is one of the online newspaper articles, "A Tribute to Wonderful Parents," that appeared on September 9, 2010 if you'd like to read it:

http://www.saipantribune.com/index.php/b8e9a818-1dfb-11e4-aedf-250bc8c9958e/

I decided to include the letter I wrote to both newspapers below: