Dear So and So

[carpaltunnel]

Dear New Department Head:

We just can't beleve that you would announce that you're contracting for three full days of training for the whole department in something we've been doing for years. AND before you even tried to obtain approval for the expenditure! What an insult - you come in and "Hmmm, I don't know anything about these people so they must not know anything." So we'll be happy to demonstrate that percieved ignorance to you the next time you ask for information.

[redrhodie]

Dear BF,

You are so lucky I caught you before you THREW AWAY that chocolate chip cookie. No, cookies do not go bad in 2 days. I'm the one who's going to eat it. If it's stale (which it's not!), I'll dunk it. Besides, it was a gift from your co-worker for ME. Hands off, especially if you're thinking it's trash.

Why don't you throw away some of those heals of bread you're always leaving on the counter, instead, if you're so anxious to throw stuff away.

Very truly yours,
Red

[Lifesgreat]

Dear neighbors of East Lawn Cemetery in Provo,

I almost stopped to talk to you as you walked up the hillside, returning to your home. You just finished walking your dog through the East Lawn Cemetery. While it slightly bothered me your leashed dog was in a cemetery, I became very unhappy when you turned it loose to run over graves and do dog-like things.

My family and I came to East Lawn to remember my deceased brother on his birthday. My grandparents and uncle are buried there too. There were other people there, honoring their dead. It was very disrespectful to have your dog running through the cemetery. You should know better.

[dex]

Dear (former) colleague,

I'm sorry you felt that my arrival, coupled with some recent changes within your organization, were some kind of threat to you. I was more than willing to help you learn the ins-and-outs of a role you weren't familiar with, but with every offer of advice or help you chose to meet me with aggressively bitter resistance. I can't help that now.

I've just heard that you resigned today. I wanted to wish you the best of luck, but you've chosen to ignore e-mails coming from my address. That's fine. I'll just wish it to you here instead.

Regards,
The New Girl On The Scene (who now gets to try to figure out what your intentions were with this product without the benefit of an actual conversation or knowledge transfer with you)

[mimitabby]

Dear Down and Out guy on the street coming out of the sleazebag hotel this morning..

Thanks so much for noticing my bicycle presence in the street waiting for the street light to turn. Thanks for pushing the button at the crosswalk even though you were not crossing there. If you hadn't done that, it eventually would have turned since a big truck was coming up behind me, but it's those random acts of kindness that make the day brighter.

Our eyes met and I mouthed thank you, but i wanted the world to know that there is goodness everywhere as well.

Gal on Steel bike

[sundial]

Dear Old Navy,

Thank you for bringing back the frisbee. My girl Kali is once again in total bliss and has a new toy to sleep with.

Sincerely,
Frisbee Mom

[sundial]

Dear Brother,

Last night our family celebrated my dad's birthday. I wish you were present, even in spirit, but you have chosen to once again hurt my parents. The phone phone message you attempted to leave only resulted in a saddened expression on my father's face as he listened to a dial tone.

Throughout your life, my parents have nurtured and strengthened you, encouraged and guided your paths. Your happiness was all that they asked in return. When you went through a particularly difficult time, they were there, standing by your side, both prayerfully and financially. But instead of honoring them by being a man of character, you chose to stand behind a wife that continues to be disrespectful, hurtful, and dishonest to me and my parents. You let her make our family decisions when she does not have our best interest at heart. You will not stand up to her hurtful remarks, her selfish acts, and rudeness. You don't even return calls for fear that you might be spending too much time with our family and not hers. When my sister-in-law was dying, I didn't receive one phone call or word of support from you. And after she had passed, my mother called your wife to let her know and she promptly changed the subject and talked about how school was hectic for her.

The holidays are approaching and we are bracing for yet another let down. Will she invite herself and her cousins over to my parents house for Thanksgiving? Do you think it's right to pressure my mother to cook and entertain your family for several days when her health issues make it difficult to do so? How about the broken or used gifts she hands to us every Christmas? You sit there and watch my mother unwrap a broken gift that your wife doesn't even offer to exchange for her. And dad receives clothing that is clearly 2 sizes too small. How about the many times I received a sweater that was faded, with colors that had run, or had the care tags and labels cut out so that I couldn't possibly exchange it for my size? This, on top of her presenting a Christmas wish list to us before October. Gifts that cost well over what she would even consider spending on my family collectively. And yet, my parents do it because, after all, they love you and want to make you happy.

I just tried calling you and got your voicemail. I doubt you'll call me back because you are a coward. All I wanted to express was to please call my parents and just talk to them. They miss you and would love nothing more than to just hear your voice and talk about nothing. I don't care if you never talk to me but please don't take my parents for granted.

Signed,

your forgotten sister

[Velobambina]

Dear Hanna

Be nice to us.

[pinkychique]

Dear father of my boyfriend,

It was rude of you to invite yourself to my first-ever world's race. In case you didn't notice, there was NO INVITATION on my part for you to come. Maybe (ya think?) because I didn't want you to come. Nor do I like that you felt that your slug of a son, brother to my boyfriend, who will not contribute anything worthwhile to this world, could come along as well. All he did was eat and sleep the whole time. And by what reasoning did you come to the conclusion that 4 of you and 2 of us leads to a 50/50 split in food costs? Maybe it's just because you're too self-centered and cheap to give up a few euros to umm, pay your fair share.

I would also like to point out that you're amazingly clingy. You act like my ex-boyfriend, the one I left because he had to follow me everywhere, and I had no time to myself. What I needed most in my race preparations was to be left alone! You also feel the need I have noticed for continuous reassurance that you're "better" in whatever way. And yes, my dad's pictures are better than yours. But then he doesn't go around showing every single one he's taken either. What, are you in kindergarten? Nobody needs 3 BMW's either, so why do you have 3? And why do you feel the need to have the coolest, latest gadget? If you could have the dedication to take care of one thing well, you wouldn't need to get all the little things nobody really needs.

What kind of horrible person are you to make your wife work 40 hours a week, AND do all the housework when you're a successful doctor who on your salary could easily cover everything financially? There's no need for your wife to work all that much. And I have NEVER seen you do the dishes once! Are you soap-and-water phobic?

One last thing. Nobody wants to be constantly lectured. I'm glad you think you know a lot. But really? I knew that the temperature of water up here at 5500 feet would never reach 212 F. I'm getting a degree in Mech Eng and BOTH my parents are engineers. I know my ****. I don't need to be taught it again. And by the way, you're wrong A LOT. And it doesn't take a brainiac to know what a distributor cap in an old car is.

And stop making Adrian and I feel like we're supposed to be getting married or something. Being together for...almost 2.5 years now does not mean we're engaged. I have dated for that long before, only to break up. You have no influence at all over anything that happens between he and I.

I have decided from now on to not visit you, and not tell you what I have qualified for or where I am racing. You're the last person I want there.

Sincerely,

Aubrey

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Sundial-
It's been just about a year now since I told my controlling bullying angry brother that I no longer want in my my life, period. It was not a decision I made lightly.
It's been wonderful not having to deal with his brief visits or hear his voice when i pick up the phone anymore. Hopefully he will eventually get some serious therapy and make changes that will make it possible to establish a sibling relationship again. I'm not holding my breath though.
I have a delightful happy relationship with my other brother, who is completely different and a wonderful person.
Sometimes it's just not worth having destructive hurtful thoughtless people in your life, no matter who they are.

[chicago]

Dear Mr President/CEO...

How is it that an employee near me reads the paper all day and has been doing this for 10 years I hear. I have been here in 3yrs and this man hardly works... yet he is still employed.

We hire contractors for a high premium to do extra work for us, but you are forking out probably $70K a year for this bum to sit and read the paper all day.

How does that work and can I have a job like that? How is it that managers see this and continue to turn their heads?

[Aggie_Ama]

Dear Me,

Turn off your brain when you climb in mountain biking. Thinking about crashing only means you will. Go for it remember "Can't never could". Thanks Grandma Ellen for that one!

[Flybye]

Dear Makers of the Chicken Pox Vaccine -
It doesn't work.
My DD has the pox as I write this letter. She has been vaccinated. I did not want her vaccinated in the first place b/c I didn't think the "trials" were long enough. I did not know that she was vaccinated until the smiling nurse came in with the information sheets and the pox vaccine was amongst those given. Grrr. That was years ago. I've gotten over it, can you tell?
The boy who she got chicken pox from was out of school for 10 days. Guess what? He has been vaccinated as well.
It isn't working.
Don't be so confident in your assumptions next time you produce a vaccine. Give it a little longer trial period.
80-90% effectiveness isn't that good.
Don't push it on the public.
Require informed consent before smiling nursed give it to kids.
Thanks,
Flybye

[Becky]

Dear friends who are going through relationship troubles (hereafter known as Jack and Jill):

I'm very sorry that you're having such a difficult time in your relationship right now. I can only imagine how hurt and angry you both feel right now. But please don't trap DH and I in the middle of this. We're friends with you both, and want to remain friends. Please don't make us choose sides.

Jill, it really hurt my feelings when you told me that, since DH and I were Jack's friends first, you plan to disconnect from all of the people who were part of your life together, including us. Clearly you don't value our friendship- we're just people to call when bad stuff happens (like right now). Nothing like being used....

Jack, I don't even know what to say to you. I feel like I don't know the real you. I certainly didn't expect to hear much of what I've heard, from both you and Jill.

[lph]

Jill, it really hurt my feelings when you told me that, since DH and I were Jack's friends first, you plan to disconnect from all of the people who were part of your life together, including us.

Oh, that stinks, Becky. I hope you told her so